BOTTOM LINE: This is a fairly solid comic book movie; it has a decent story, great action, colourful visuals, and some admirable quirks and laughs that highlight director Guillermo Del Toro's off centre directorial style.

THE GOOD: Not having had any desire to see the first film (and I still haven't seen it), I went in to this film on a cheap ticket without much expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It's not spectacular by any means but it is decent entertainment for a comic book movie and manages to show off director Guillermo Del Toro's unique directorial style and touches. The film is visually very powerful and is probably it's strongest asset. Much work has gone in to the design of the characters, the visuals and the special effects to create a detailed mystical world working within our own that is compelling to watch. As with most comic book movies, the story is simple: the main villain, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) wants to destroy the human race by unleashing the mystical Golden Army; Hellboy and his team are out there to stop him. The standout character in the film is of course Hellboy, played with a flippant and satirical bent by Ron Pearlman. He commands the screen and engages your interest and amusement through his lack of concern about being defeated by any enemy that he comes across. In this story, his biggest dilemma is solving his relationship problems with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair). Also of note is Abe Sapien, played by Doug Jones. This character is incredibly well designed, but also well dramatised as a smart, but non-combative angel. The other great character in this piece is Prince Nuada; he looks fantastic and is quite lethal. He engages in some fantastically coreographed fight sequences, particularly with Hellboy in the movie's climax. What makes this film unique, at least in terms of its execution, is Guillermo Del Toro's directorial style. He has a visual command of the screen that is very different and original, and manages to introduce some offbeat comical moments that you normally wouldn't find in a Hollywood movie. The appearance of the Golden Army in the climax is perhaps the best example of the visual impact that this director imparts in this movie. The whole sequence is big and bold, with wonderful attention to detail. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a solid effort.

THE BAD: The first ten minutes of the film aren't particularly that great and made we wonder if I'd wasted my money. Although the reciting of the children's story about the mythical Golden Army was necessary in terms of the plot, the execution of it seemed lame and silly to me with the two-dimensional, blocky style animation. It's not until Hellboy appears as an adult and he does his thing that the film kicks in to gear. Another problem is that although almost all of Del Toro's offbeat moments work brilliantly, there are a couple that don't. The main culprit is the scene where Abe and Hellboy start singing "I can't smile without you", which is then later reprised over the end credits when Hellboy learns from Liz that she'll be giving birth to twins. Given the action-heavy, comic book style of the film, it was out of place; funny, but out of place.