Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Hellboy 2) (2008)
81%RT Audience Score: 71%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 35 nominations total
Guillermo del Toro crafts a stellar comic book sequel, boasting visuals that are as imaginative as the characters are endearing
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is like a Renaissance painting come to life, but with more demons and clockwork goblins. Guillermo del Toro’s imagination is on full display in this sequel, and Ron Perlman is the perfect cocky hero with a heart. It’s the rare sequel that actually improves upon the original, and the new creatures and settings are a feast for the eyes. So grab some popcorn, follow the yellow brick road to Hell, and enjoy the ride!
Production Company(ies)
Jolly Film Constantin Film Ocean Films,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Sóskút, Pest, Budapest, Hungary
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):English, Gaelic, German
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 11, 2008 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 11, 2008
Genre(s)
Action/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt, Luke Goss, directed by Guillermo del Toro, written by Guillermo del Toro, produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson, action, fantasy, PG-13, box office, budget, reviewed by Derek Malcolm, Paul Byrnes, Jonathan Romney, David Gritten, Limara Salt, James Christopher, Fico Cangiano, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Debbie Lynn Elias, Micheal Compton, Hellboy, Liz, Abe Sapien, Tom Manning, Professor Broom, Prince Nuada, underworld, magical, killing machines, humanity’s annihilation, pyrokinetic, aquatic empath, ancient army, Guillermo del Toro’s talent, creatures, settings, mythical world, comic book sequel, imaginative, endearing, visuals, exuberance, dark humor, teenage fanboys, technical brilliance, brain, Renaissance masterpiece, cocky hero, heart, witty, action-packed, family drama, cute romance, top horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, box office performance
Worldwide gross: $168,319,243
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $231,853,326
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 613
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 25,283,896
US/Canada gross: $75,986,503
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $104,668,504
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 716
US/Canada opening weekend: $34,539,115
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $47,576,311
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 248
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $85,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $117,084,252
Production budget ranking: 324
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $63,049,870
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $51,719,204
ROI to date (est.): 29%
ROI ranking: 1,247
Selma Blair – Liz
Doug Jones – Abe Sapien
Jeffrey Tambor – Tom Manning
John Hurt – Professor Broom
Luke Goss – Prince Nuada
Director(s)
Guillermo del Toro
Writer(s)
Guillermo del Toro
Producer(s)
Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 35 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (250) | Top Critics (69) | Fresh (215) | Rotten (35)
This, like the first Hellboy, is del Toro on holiday in Hollywood, having as much fun as he can without totally compromising his considerable powers of invention.
December 8, 2014
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Hellboy II is fabulously imaginative, visually sumptuous and dramatically complex; what’s more, it’s very funny and engaging.
December 8, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
The film’s exuberance, and the sense that it’s all one big gimmick-packed action toy, give Hellboy II: The Golden Army a refreshing cinematic purity.
December 8, 2014
Jonathan Romney
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Clearly, such material appeals primarily to teenage fanboys, but del Toro’s dark humour broadens its scope.
December 8, 2014
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The plot is paper thin (something about an ancient battle between humans and mythical creatures and a goblin-built clockwork) but Guillermo del Toro’s talent has always been to create worlds and bring creatures to life.
December 8, 2014
Limara Salt
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Hellboy II: The Golden Army has the technical brilliance of a Renaissance masterpiece and a brain the size of a pea.
December 8, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
James Christopher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Full of imaginative creatures and settings, Del Toro lets loose on this fun sequel that improves what came before. Ron Perlman is perfect as the cocky hero with a heart. [Full review in Spanish}
July 30, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
There’s still too much posing for the camera, but the introduction of dozens of new fantastical deviations drowns out the typical overdose of heroic photo stances.
November 28, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The rarest of sequels that is actually better than its predecessor.
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
So, follow the yellow brick road to Hell, Hellboy that is, as Big Red and company attempt to save the world from destruction by an invisible realm…
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
The film is full of fascinating creatures and a mythical world unlike any seen on screen since, well, del Toro’s last film, Pan’s Labyrinth.
October 29, 2019 | Rating: B
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
… one of those cinematic rarities where the sequel perfectly and appropriately complements the first. [Full review in Spanish]
March 20, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Laura Hiros
Rincón de cine…
Plot
After saving the world from the evil Russian mystic, Grigory Rasputin, in Hellboy (2004), the red-skinned gun-toting demon and humankind’s strange protector, Hellboy, now struggle to accept that the operations of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence must remain secret. As if that weren’t enough, the powerful Elven-prince, Nuada, is bent on retrieving the fragments of a crown that commands the indestructible Golden Army: an omnipotent legion of clockwork warriors that can destroy all humans. Now, before this new menace, all hope rests on Hellboy and Liz’s old brothers-in-arms, as well as the ectoplasmic being, Johann Krauss. However, the Earth’s supernatural defenders seem to be no match for Nuada’s unstoppable forces. Did Hellboy and the rest bite off more than they could chew?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ron Perlman gives a “smart and distinct performance with laughable dialogue and action all around” according to one audience review.
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