Truth be told, after the balls to the wall brilliance of Blade II and creepy, dulcet tones of Chronos and The Devil's Backbone, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy (the 1st) proved somewhat of a disappointment. Lacking the confidence of Mignola's work while lavishing in it's colour and style, it was an enjoyable little experience… and not much else, containing all the elements of a great genre picture - charming effects, makeup, cinematography and the always enjoyable Ron Pearlman - yet failing to pack the punch of a more well-known comic property.

To put it simply, it begged for a sequal.

Four years and an Academy Award later, and del Toro has created that rarest of beasts - a sequel that makes good on the first film's promises, harnessing every ounce of potential while still leaving room for an inevitable conclusion to the trilogy. Indeed, The Golden Army is an absolute treat, deserving a place alongside X2 and The Dark Knight as examples of how to exceed every possible expectation.

Picking up some time after the first film, we find "Red" (Pearlman), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abe Sapian (Doug Jones) eking a colourful existence as Agents of the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense as they work to stop the likes of patricidal elf prince Nuada (Luke Goss) from using a mystical family heirloom to raise a horde of magically mechanical warriors, the titular Golden Army. Also new is princess Nuala (Anna Walton, an unusual "romantic" lead), a veritable menagerie of magical creatures and one Johann Krauss, a non-coporeal, gaseous commandant (played to pitch perfection by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane).
Sounds far fetched? It is. But in the most satisfyingly self-aware and laconic fashion.

To start, this a beautiful film, crammed to the brim with constantly astounding imagery, well utilized special-effects and some of the best animatronics and puppet work this side of The Dark Crystal. The pacing is smooth, cohesive, and though the dialogue occasionally edges toward cheese and melodrama, it's never hard to swallow. Honestly, it's just so much god-damned fun one can even forgive a little drunken karaoke between a demon and his merman friend (FYI, it's much funnier than it sounds).
The actors on a whole are clearly having the time of their lives. Pearlman shines, emoting terrifically from within the make-up and prosthetics, rousing some great chemistry with both Blair and Jones (who himself deserves kudos for taking over voicing duties from David Hyde-Pierce). Tambour is great, as always, and though Luke Goss seems rather vanilla compared to his villainy in Blade II, it's still a decent turn (if a little overly likable). However, the real coup de grace here is MacFarlane, whose waspish, "by the books" Krauss is a low-key joy to the ears.

In short, Hellboy II, unlike the previous installment, is actually greater than the sum of it's parts. Is it flawed? Occasionally. Will it change the world? Probably not. But it is enjoyable, funny, awe-inspiring, thoughtful and just plain fun… and considering the subject matter (no… really consider), is a wonderful genre flick, and well deserving the price of admission.

David gives 4/5 Sprockets