Following the massive success of foreign wonder “Pan’s Labyrinth,” director
Guillermo Del Toro’s “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” contiues the tale of the
self-titled demonic doyen, only this time with a bigger budget and twice as
many Magic-card villains. Creatively envisioning a hybrid genre of the
supernatural adventure and gothic fantasia, Del Toro’s imagination catches fire
in his latest work. Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair) and the rest of
the mutant mystery machine unite to battle an underworld prince from another
realm seeking to animate the cataclysmic force of — you guessed it — the Golden
Army.

Although expectations shouldn’t be too high for the film’s
cinematic brilliance, like many other graphic novel inspirations, “Hellboy”’s
style should make it entertaining enough. In a world blending the atmosphere of “Harry Potter,” the paranormal
escapade of “Men in Black” and the character/costume design of “Battlestar
Galactica,” the film’s art direction is sure to attract an academy nomination
and perhaps Del Toro’s second win. July 11.