Just got back from seeing it.
I felt the same after this movie as I did after the last one. I walked out with the feeling that I liked it, sort of, but as more time passes I like it more and more.
Things I liked:
1)The art direction: This was off the hook. The CGI was excellent and much better than some of the other movies I've seen this summer (Incredible Hulk I am looking at you)
2) Pearlman as Hellboy: Hellboy is a character I could watch all day. The movie could be about him brushing his teeth for two hours and I would still be entertained (not lil' Hellboy though
).
3) The fight scenes: These were a heckuva lot of fun. Lots of monster smashing. Big Baby. The Prince guy could give Darth Maul a run for his money.
Things I didn't like:
1) Little Hellboy sequence: He just looked goofy. It was nice to see John Hurt, but he looked much older than the character should look in 1955 (?). In the first movie he looked young (different actor) around the time of WWII. Paranormal research must make you age horribly.
2) Everyone just standing around too much: When the tooth fairies were attacking everyone, the agent guys were just standing there getting eaten. Also, how freaking long were they shooting at the things before they decided to do something logical and toast them? Also when the Prince throws the jumping bean, everyone just stands there.
3) Hellboy getting stabbed: This just seemed like a vehicle to showcase another creature, the angel of death. While that scene was cool, it just seemed like a too convenient way to cure Hellboy.
4) The bedtime story sequence in the beginning of the movie: Did I miss the reason why everything was wooden puppets?
Overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses but a lot of ideas seemed to be introduced and then left hanging. That being said, I will definitely pick this up when it comes out on DVD.
