OPENS SEPTEMBER 3, CERT 12A, 122 MINS

Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of writer/artist Mike Mignola’s celebrated comic strip opens at the close of WWII: Brit paranormal scientist Bruttenholm (John Hurt) prevents Hitler’s SS forces from successfully opening a gateway to hell and claims a baby demon which manages to make it through as his adopted son. Sixty years later, Bruttenholm runs the Bureau Of Paranormal Research And Defence, and the cigar-chomping Hellboy (Ron Perlman, replete with scarlet skin, cement arm, horns and tail) is his major weapon against the forces of evil.

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The warped visual style Del Toro brought to offbeat, low-budget chillers like Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone perfectly complements Mignola’s baroque source visuals. Perlman is outstanding as the wise-cracking demon adventurer, and his effects-laden war against the foul armies of hell whips along merrily without pausing for breath. On the downside, the final act is rushed, and Del Toro’s self-penned script makes little sense. Over-the-top fun while it lasts, though.