HELLBOY (Guillermo del Toro, 2004)
115th St. Library, Alvin Ailey Community Room
203 West 115th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Saturday, March 9, free, 1:00
www.nypl.org
Even with the participation of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro’s (Pan’s Labyrinth) special-effects-laden big-screen adaptation of the popular comic book is a disappointment. Ron Perlman is fine as the cynical, wisecracking title character, used by the FBI to kill monsters, but the plot is a little too Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossed with the X-Files and Batman: The Animated Series, all three of which were superior to this mediocre movie. The all-star cast also features John Hurt, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, and the voice of David Hyde Pierce. Del Toro’s 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, with most of the same actors reprising their roles, is significantly better.