Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
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Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense must battle a mythical prince who plans to reclaim the world for his magical kindred.
The story
During Christmas 1955, a young Hellboy is told a bedtime story by his adoptive father, Trevor Bruttenholm, set during an ancient war between humans and magical creatures. In the present day, the prince Nuada begins gathering the pieces of a crown to reclaim the world for his magical kindred. Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) must investigate the escalating threat. As Nuada gathers the pieces of the crown, the B.P.R.D. team must track the magical artifacts and confront the mythical prince before he can unleash a legendary army to devastate humanity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with a 1955 flashback where Trevor Bruttenholm tells young Hellboy about the war between humans and magical creatures. In the present, Prince Nuada Silverlance seeks three pieces of a crown to command the Golden Army. He successfully retrieves the first piece at an auction and the second after killing his father, while Princess Nuala escapes with the third. At the B.P.R.D., Hellboy and his team, including Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman, investigate the auction and the subsequent trail of magical activity. They encounter Nuada's allies and eventually face Nuada himself. Nuada wounds Hellboy with a spear, and the team travels to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland to seek help from the Bethmoora goblin master. After a ritual with the Angel of Death, Hellboy is healed. At the final confrontation, Nuada awakens the Golden Army. Hellboy defeats Nuada in a duel for the right to command the army, but Nuala commits suicide to stop her brother. Liz uses her powers to melt the crown, deactivating the army. The team resigns from the B.P.R.D. as Hellboy prepares for a future with Liz and their unborn twins.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guillermo del Toro
- Writers
- Guillermo del Toro · screenplay; Guillermo del Toro · story; Mike Mignola · story
- Cast and characters
- Ron Perlman · Hellboy; Selma Blair · Liz Sherman; Doug Jones · Abe Sapien; Doug Jones · Angel of Death; Doug Jones · Chamberlain; John Alexander · Johann Krauss; James Dodd · Johann Krauss; Luke Goss · Prince Nuada Silverlance; Anna Walton · Princess Nuala; Jeffrey Tambor · Tom Manning; John Hurt · Trevor Bruttenholm
- Genres
- superhero; fantasy; action
- Themes
- folklore; fairy tale; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; fantasy; action; mythology
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dark Horse Comics
- Franchise connections
- Hellboy
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its fantasy atmosphere and the performances of the cast.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Makeup · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first American production to shoot at Korda Studios in Hungary.; The character of Mr. Wink was named after Selma Blair's one-eyed dog.; The film's score was composed by Danny Elfman.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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