🔥 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) 🔥

“Tooth fairies, wax royals, and one very angsty demon.”


—

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we? 🎥

—

Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

Directed again by Guillermo del Toro, this sequel takes everything from the first film and cranks it up: more creatures, more practical effects, more mythology, and a bigger emotional core for Hellboy.

The story kicks off with Professor Broom (John Hurt) reading a bedtime story to young Hellboy about an ancient war between humans and the Elven royal family. The Elves once created the unstoppable Golden Army — 70 indestructible mechanical soldiers controlled by a crown split into three pieces. Peace was brokered, but Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who despises humanity, swears vengeance and goes into exile.

Cut to modern day. Nuada returns, reclaims one piece of the crown, unleashes flesh-eating tooth fairies at an auction, and begins hunting down the remaining pieces to control the Golden Army. Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), and their new teammate Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) step in to stop him. Along the way: romance, betrayal, and a whole lot of beautifully weird creatures courtesy of del Toro’s imagination.


—

Character Rundown

Hellboy (Ron Perlman) – Still the cigar-chomping, sarcastic demon with a heart of gold, but here he’s struggling more with identity and acceptance. The human world still sees him as a freak, and it eats at him.

Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) – Liz’s pyrokinetic powers are stronger, but her emotional struggles take center stage. Her relationship with Hellboy is rocky but real, and their domestic fights add heart.

Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, voice by David Hyde Pierce in the first film but here fully Jones) – Our fish-man empath falls in love with Princess Nuala, which brings sweetness… and eventual heartbreak.

Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) – A compelling villain with actual depth. His fight choreography is fantastic, and his ideological war with humanity makes him more interesting than most comic villains.

Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) – Gentle, compassionate, and telepathically linked to Nuada (so any harm to one is felt by the other). Her romance with Abe gives the story its most tragic thread.

Professor Broom (John Hurt) – Appears briefly in flashback, anchoring the fairy-tale tone.

Johann Krauss (Seth MacFarlane, voice) – A German ectoplasmic being who lives in a containment suit. At first he’s a by-the-book rules lawyer, but he eventually softens and joins Hellboy in breaking protocol. Quirky, strict, and weirdly likable.



—

Pacing / Episode Flow

This film moves brisker than the first, but it still takes its time to dive into del Toro’s creature markets and mythology. The Troll Market sequence is a highlight, filled with imaginative designs that feel ripped from Pan’s Labyrinth. The movie balances action with quieter character moments, like Hellboy drunkenly singing with Abe, or Liz confronting her role in Hellboy’s life.

The only pacing hiccup? Sometimes the middle act lingers a bit too long in side plots before circling back to the crown storyline. But the visual feast keeps you engaged.


—

Pros ✅

Guillermo del Toro’s creature designs are jaw-dropping (the Troll Market alone deserves an award).

Ron Perlman cements himself as the definitive Hellboy, balancing humor and pathos.

Luke Goss as Prince Nuada is one of the best comic-book villains of the 2000s — menacing yet sympathetic.

The emotional core between Liz and Hellboy, and Abe’s tragic romance with Nuala, give the film real heart.

The fight choreography (Hellboy vs. Nuada, Nuada’s staff work) is slick and memorable.



—

Cons ❌

The script juggles a lot: prophecy, romance, BPRD politics, Troll Market mythology… sometimes it feels overloaded.

The “linked twins” trope between Nuada and Nuala becomes predictable fast. You know exactly how that’ll end.

The Bureau politics subplot feels undercooked compared to the fantasy elements.

Krauss is a great addition, but his sudden “I quit too” at the end feels rushed.



—

Final Thoughts

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a worthy sequel that doubles down on del Toro’s strengths: gorgeous creature design, folklore-inspired fantasy, and heartfelt character beats. It’s not flawless — it’s crammed with ideas, and some threads don’t fully land — but it’s still one of the most creative comic-book movies of the 2000s.

It’s funnier, weirder, and more emotional than the first. And while the ending is bittersweet, it sets up a future that sadly never came, since the franchise ended here.


—

Rating

8.4/10


—

Spoiler Warning ⚠️

From here, spoilers stomp like the Golden Army.


—

Spoilers

Nuada retrieves the first crown piece at an auction and unleashes tooth fairies — vicious little winged monsters that devour flesh (and yes, they go straight for your teeth). Hellboy fights them, falls out a window, and ends up on the street in front of a horrified crowd. Instead of seeing him as a hero, the humans insult him, reinforcing his insecurity.

The team tracks Nuada to the Troll Market, a sprawling underground bazaar of fantastical creatures. It’s here Abe meets Princess Nuala, who has fled her brother. They form a bond, with Abe’s empathic abilities making their romance immediate and intense. Meanwhile, Hellboy duels Nuada’s unstoppable elemental beast in one of the film’s most breathtaking sequences — a battle that ends with Hellboy reluctantly killing the creature, leaving a lush forest sprouting from its remains.

Nuada later infiltrates BPRD headquarters, thanks to his psychic link with Nuala. In a drunken scene, Hellboy brawls with him but gets stabbed. Nuada demands Nuala hand over the final crown piece.

The climax takes place in an ancient chamber in Ireland (or Scotland, the film’s vague about it). The Golden Army awakens — massive, self-repairing clockwork soldiers. Hellboy challenges Nuada to single combat for control of the army. The duel is brutal but clean, showcasing Nuada’s martial skills. Hellboy wins but spares Nuada’s life… until Nuala fatally stabs herself, knowing her death will kill her brother too. It’s heartbreaking, especially for Abe, who cradles her in despair.

In the aftermath, Hellboy and Liz quit the BPRD to try and live a normal life, joined unexpectedly by Krauss. The final shot hints at a new chapter for the group… one that never came, since del Toro’s Hellboy III was never made.