Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 supernatural superhero film based on the fictional character Hellboy created by Mike Mignola.
The movie was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro and is a sequel to the 2004 film Hellboy, which del Toro also directed. Ron Perlman reprises his starring role as the eponymous character. Unlike the original film, which was produced by Revolution Studios and released by Sony's Columbia Pictures, The Golden Army was produced by Universal Studios and Relativity Media and released by Universal Pictures. Unlike the first film which featured a darker gothic atmosphere, Hellboy II features a fantasy atmosphere.
Plot[]
During Christmas 1955, a young Hellboy is told a bedtime story by his adoptive father, Trevor Bruttenholm, of an ancient war between humans and magical creatures. After the magical creatures are driven back by the humans, the goblin blacksmiths extend an offer to Balor, king of the elves, to build him an indestructible mechanical army. Encouraged by his son Prince Nuada, Balor accepts. The Golden Army subsequently devastates humanity. Regretting his actions, Balor forms a truce with the humans, that they will keep to the cities and the magical creatures to the forests. The crown to command the Golden Army, which can only be worn by one of royal blood, is split into three pieces. Nuada, disagreeing with the truce, leaves in exile.
In the present, a year after the evil sorcerer Grigori Rasputin's plans to summon his eldritch masters, the Ogdru Jahad, to enact Armageddon were foiled, Nuada returns and begins gathering the pieces of the crown. He collects the first piece from an auction by unleashing tooth fairies, voracious flying creatures that eat the crowd alive, and then kills his father for the second piece. His twin sister Princess Nuala escapes with the final piece.
Meanwhile, at the B.P.R.D., demonic special agent Hellboy is having issues with his girlfriend Liz and dislikes that their organization must operate in secrecy. Investigating the auction slaughter, Hellboy allows himself to be revealed to the world. In the commotion, Abe Sapien discovers Liz is pregnant but she swears him to secrecy.
Furious at Hellboy's actions, Tom Manning's superiors send the ectoplasmic medium Johann Krauss to rein him in. With Krauss in charge, the team tracks the tooth fairies to a secret troll market under the Brooklyn Bridge. Abe finds Nuala, who has obtained a map leading to the Golden Army, and falls in love with her. Hellboy fights and kills Nuada's accomplice Wink and an elemental forest god that Nuada summons against him. During the fight, Nuada questions why he fights for the humans when they have driven the magical creatures into hiding, of which he, too, is one. Nuala is taken under the B.P.R.D.'s protection.
Nuada tracks his sister to the B.P.R.D. headquarters using their magical bond, which also causes them to share wounds and read each other's thoughts. Nuala hides the final crown piece before Nuada finds her and he battles Hellboy. Nuada critically wounds Hellboy with his spear and abducts Nuala, promising her return in exchange for the crown piece. Unable to remove the spear shard in his wound, Liz and Abe decide to take Hellboy to the Golden Army's location in the Giant's Causeway of Northern Ireland. Krauss comes along, as he sympathizes with Liz, revealing that he, too, lost his wife in the accident that caused the loss of his own body.
They encounter the Bethmoora goblin master blacksmith who brings them before the Angel of Death to retrieve the spear shard. Though warned that Hellboy will doom humanity if he lives and that she will suffer the most from it, Liz pleads for Hellboy's life. The Angel removes the shard from Hellboy's chest and tells Liz to give him a reason to live. She reveals to Hellboy that he will be a father and he recovers.
The goblin leads the team to the resting place of the Golden Army, where Nuada awaits them. Abe gives him the last piece of the crown and Nuada awakens the Golden Army, commanding them to kill the team. Hellboy challenges Nuada for the right to command the army. As Hellboy is a member of Hell's royal family, Nuada must accept the challenge. Hellboy defeats Nuada and spares his life, but Nuada tries stabbing him. Nuala commits suicide to stop her brother and the dying Nuada tells Hellboy he will have to choose whether humanity or magical beings must die. Abe psychically shares his feelings with Nuala before she dies. Liz uses her pyrokinesis to melt the crown, deactivating the Golden Army for good.
Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann resign from the B.P.R.D. and Hellboy contemplates his future life with Liz and their baby. Liz corrects him by saying "babies", thus revealing that she is pregnant with twins.
Cast[]
- Ron Perlman as Hellboy
- Selma Blair as Liz Sherman
- Doug Jones as Abe Sapien / Angel of Death / Chamberlain
- John Alexander and James Dodd as Johann Krauss
- with voice performance by Seth MacFarlane
- Luke Goss as Prince Nuada
- Anna Walton as Princess Nuala
- Jeffrey Tambor as Tom Manning
- John Hurt as Trevor Bruttenholm
- Brian Steele as Mr. Wink / Cathedral Head / Fragglewump / Cronie Troll
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
- The Angel of Death's voice is done by Doug Jones doing each line twice, once in a higher pitched voice, and then in a lower pitch, and then the two takes were blended together.
- In the director's commentary by Guillermo Del Toro, the Golden Army soldiers are an allegory to war itself being a mindless beast that knows no true master.
- The female reporter seen interviewing Hellboy outside of the auction house is Ron Perlman's daughter, Blake Perlman.