PRESENTS

With it's Deadpool flavored crassness, flashy CGI action, and forced alt rock personality Neil Marshall's crack at the uncouth, blasé, anti hero feels sourly overproduced and a little cheap, especially held up against Guillermo Del Toro's heartfelt practical heavy series of the early 00's. Although the film as a whole fails, it is in spite of an incredible Hellboy rendition from leading man, David Harbour, who makes the red monkey look better than ever. On top of an amped up makeup and some genuinely funny writing, Harbour's delivery of Hellboy's relentless sarcasm and grim sense of humor make the character an absolute joy to watch. It's also about the only thing that keeps the otherwise derivative and unoriginal flick afloat and only barely so. The attempts at injecting a quirky, punk rock personality with egregious irreverence and excessive CGI gore fall well short of the mark and leave the audience with yet another forgettable opener to an unwanted Hollywood franchise.