Italian
Hellboy: The Crooked Man - A misguided attempt at rebooting a cult classic
A shortfall in visual and narrative execution
While Hellboy: The Crooked Man presents itself as a relatively low-budget reboot, it is challenging to justify its $20 million price tag given its YouTube-like visuals. Despite adhering closely to Mike Mignola’s original comic, the film feels more like a fan project than a professional production. Remarkably, the involvement of director Brian Taylor, known for high-octane films like Crank and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, does little to elevate the movie. Unlike his previous works, this film lacks both momentum and flair.
A new Hellboy fails to impress
Following in the footsteps of Ron Perlman and David Harbour—two actors who brought Hellboy to life with great charisma—Jack Kesy’s portrayal of the iconic paranormal agent is disappointingly passive. His quips are subtle to the point of being forgettable, and his character’s past seems to have little impact on the present narrative. Unfortunately, it’s not Kesy’s fault; the script leaves him with nothing substantial to work with.
An unengaging journey through Appalachia
Set in 1959, the film opens with an entertaining though unrelated tussle with a giant spider aboard a train. This scene, which stands out as the film’s major addition to the comic, only serves to underscore the film’s disjointed narrative. Hellboy, along with B.P.R.D. rookie Jo (Adeline Rudolph), find themselves lost in the woods of rural Appalachia. They encounter several villagers tormented by local witches and the ominous Crooked Man, whose ties to America’s colonial sins are mentioned but then quickly abandoned.
Characters that fail to spark interest
Jo, a character not found in the comics, barely registers in the film. Despite being constantly present, her role is largely observational, occasionally commenting on the bizarre happenings she and Hellboy encounter. They are guided through the woods by local ex-soldier Tom (Jefferson White), another character who fails to leave an impression.
Lacking visual splendor
As the trio meanders through their quest, they stumble upon various folk-horror elements. However, these moments lack the visual panache needed to captivate the audience. The film suffers from a plain and stilted presentation, with no sense of geographical coherence during the action scenes.
One of the few enjoyable aspects is the use of practical effects, such as a skinsuit reinhabited by a skeleton. Nonetheless, the dialogue seldom connects with the visuals. Hellboy often comments on the smell of evil or death in the air, but the camera seldom captures the environment sufficiently to reinforce these sensations. The repetitive cycle of encountering one witch after another grows almost comically monotonous.
Absence of artistic homage
One of the most significant missteps is the film’s failure to emulate Richard Corben’s signature comic artwork, which brought an unsettling and unique visual style to the original series. Neither is there any alternative visual inspiration. The narrative unfolds with exceptional dullness, including numerous psychic visions experienced by the characters, which feel more like a box-ticking exercise than a creative endeavor.
Missed opportunities in horror elements
The closer the characters get to facing the titular villain, the less engaging the story becomes. It feels as though minimal effort was put into crafting the plot. Although Sven Faulconer’s score manages to maintain an appropriately creepy atmosphere, other elements like lighting, costume, and production design fail to rise to the occasion.
A soulless reboot
Unlike its predecessors, Hellboy: The Crooked Man lacks any distinctive flavor or passion for the source material’s idiosyncratic world. A smaller budget should theoretically have allowed the creators to focus more on the horror elements inherent in the comic series, but these have been ironically stripped away. What’s left is merely the husk of what makes Hellboy special.
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