Alas, Hellboy...
I wanted to enjoy Hellboy. I didn't have high hopes given the contradictory nature of the movie's reviews. I figured that the visual design and the special effects would've been great and the movie would've been passable.

But from the beginning I was disturbed. The voice over made me uneasy. I expected a pseudo-documentary style exposition of Hellboy's background, I guess... There was an unusual amount of banter for the normals of the crew. The scripted lines were awkward, and the characters were cardboard.

It did get better. I like the characterization of Hellboy, and he looked great. I forgot he was a guy in a suit. I liked the little touches like the food (pamcakes!), and his style of humor. I was expecting that he would be the only wise-cracking character as well, but apparently everyone got into the act at one time or another with a few exceptions. The evil creatures were stunning, but disposed off relatively simply...

I dunno... too uneven. Too unfocused. Too much banter, not enough atmosphere.

Loved the scene with the kid, and the awkward style of HB despite his strength. AGH! I'm disappointed.