More Horror than Action But Still a Chilling Good Time.
Summary
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is a bold and chilling new chapter in the live action series; this goes back to the horror roots of the character with a creepy atmosphere throughout. Action fans may be disappointed at the lack of set-pieces, but this will be a good one to watch this upcoming spooky season.
Plot: Hellboy and a rookie B.P.R.D. agent in the 1950s are sent to the Appalachians, where they discover a remote community dominated by witches and led by the sinister local demon, the Crooked Man.
Review: The latest Hellboy movie titled The Crooked Man is released later this week and I got to watch it over the weekend.
This really embraces more of the horror aspects of the comic rather than action, so if you’re looking for lots of set-pieces you may be disappointed. There are a few witch/demon slaying scenes but nothing on the scale of the Guillermo Del Toro movies which remain the best live action Hellboy adaptations thus far.
I like that Hellboy: The Crooked Man provides a fresh look at the world of Big Red and Jack Kesy is well cast in the role; despite this having a creepier and more serious tone than the previous movies Hellboy still has some one-liners and is tough yet likeable at the same time.
Like I said I know plenty won’t like this interpretation as it doesn’t have much in the way of action, but it has a spooky atmosphere throughout and a feeling of dread. You feel like our crew of Hellboy, Tom Ferrell and Bobby Jo Song are in constant peril with The Crooked Man making for a sinister villain who is a genuine threat.
It almost feels like a movie from the 70’s especially with the score and I mean that as a compliment.
At around 90 minutes it packs a lot in and yet I did find it a little slow at times and we could have done with some more scenes of Hellboy kicking demon ass. At times he feels more like a supporting character with Tom taking over a lot of the screentime.
This does feel like it has a lower budget that the previous movies and I miss the big action scenes of the Del Toro movies, but the grounded approach remains effective for the most part.
Overall, Hellboy: The Crooked Man is a bold new direction for the series which horror enthusiasts are going to eat up, but action fans may be left wanting more. At only 90 minutes it’s refreshingly short but it could have done with a few more scenes of Hellboy destroying more witches and demons. I don’t see it making much of an impact theatrically, but I think when it hits streaming it may end up becoming a cult classic over time.
Icon Film Distribution presents Hellboy: The Crooked Man in UK and Irish cinemas from 27 September