| "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" is due out July | | | | took sanctuary after their plane crashed into |
| 2008, a full 7 months from now. What's a fan | | | | the ocean. |
| to do while waiting for Guillermo Del Toro's | | | | |
| sequel to his first movie about the nether | | | | Slaying dragons, fighting mystical demons and |
| region's favorite son with a human heart. | | | | becoming pawns in a centuries old love affair |
| | | | are the overlying themes of Hellboy Sword of |
| Luckily, Del Toro collaborated with Mike | | | | Stones. The demon world is inhabited by |
| Mignola (creator of Hellboy comics), IDT | | | | fantastic lores of Japanese myths. The movie |
| Entertainment and others on two animated | | | | creators could probably have spent most of |
| films, "Hellboy Sword of Storms" (2006) and | | | | the storyline within this world and would |
| "Hellboy Blood & Iron" (2007). Unless you're | | | | have made a memorable film. |
| a reader of Mignola's Hellboy comics, these | | | | |
| two films are worth buying or renting to | | | | Their decision to separate Hellboy from Abe |
| delve into the world as protected by Hellboy, | | | | and Liz tho' is workable. For the non-comic |
| Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and the rest of BPRD | | | | book readers, this is the first time we get a |
| (Bureau of Paranormal Research Department), a | | | | feel of Liz's awesome power as a pyro as she |
| top secret agency created by the US | | | | was forced to confront the dragon on the |
| government to "bump back" against things that | | | | island. We also get a macho-er Abe Sapien. |
| bump in the night. | | | | In the cartoons, Abe is a frontline fighter, |
| | | | not simply a scout, though he ends up getting |
| The two films take on very different tones, | | | | beat up quite a bit. Not the Abe Sapien I |
| one of the fantastic, the other of the | | | | remember in Hellboy the movie. |
| gothic. The DVDs contain extras where the | | | | |
| creators discussed the making the films and | | | | Hellboy Blood & Iron |
| the decision-making behind any deviation from | | | | |
| the comic books. | | | | In "Blood & Iron", Hellboy and the BPRD were |
| | | | assigned to investigate a haunted house which |
| Hellboy Sword of Stones | | | | was recently purchased by an entrepreneuring |
| | | | mogul who planned to use the house for a |
| In "Sword of Stones", Hellboy was | | | | ghost-chasing TV reality show. It so turned |
| investigating an assignment in Japan when he | | | | out that the mogul had imported a set of |
| magically transported to a demon world of | | | | artifacts from a legendary Hungarian countess |
| Japanese mythos as he touched an artifact, | | | | known to be a vampire in her days but thought |
| the Sword of Stones. This sword was used to | | | | to have been vanquished by a young Professor |
| banish the demon brothers, Thunder and | | | | Broom, one of BPRD's ranking officials and |
| Lightning, who were trying to make a comeback | | | | Hellboy's boss. |
| in order to wake up sleeping dragons to help | | | | |
| them conquer the world. But before they | | | | True to many vampire films, "Blood & Iron" |
| could do so, the Sword of Stones must be | | | | took us through an intricate gothic story of |
| broken to set them free. | | | | vengeance and obsession. There were loose |
| | | | strings between the countess, her servant who |
| Practically dumbfounded by the teleportation, | | | | was a former village priest, and Professor |
| Hellboy, at the advice of the first creature | | | | Broom. |
| he met - a mysterious talking fox, travelled | | | | |
| eastward as he attempted his way back home. | | | | In an artistic decision to weave the backdrop |
| He encountered and fought fascinating | | | | between the countess and Professor Broom with |
| creatures such as a group of flying head | | | | the events at BPRD's mission, the creators |
| demons, a harp-playing spider queen, a toad | | | | chose to show a series of flashbacks as |
| demon, and other ghouls. | | | | Hellboy and his crew began their |
| | | | investigation. As expected, Professor Broom |
| Meanwhile, back on earth, Abe Sapien and Liz | | | | confronted the countess, but not before the |
| Sherman contended with the precursors to the | | | | countess was able to send Hellboy to her |
| coming of the demon brothers. Some of the | | | | goddess, Hecates. It was Hecates who |
| dragons already began stirring and nearby | | | | transformed the countess into a vampire and |
| countrysides were terrorized. Abe's and | | | | she wanted Hellboy to join her or kill him if |
| Liz's airplane was downed by a lightning bolt | | | | he refused. Of course, Hellboy refused and |
| as they flew to Japan in order to investigate | | | | as he made his way back to the mansion, |
| Hellboy's sudden disappearance. They fought | | | | Hecates chased him for a final, bonecrushing |
| one of the dragons in an island where they | | | | showdown. |