Hellboy: The Crooked Man

I'm not one of those movie experts, but let me say this: it is NOT a real movie. Everything from the story and special effects till the dubbing (I watched in PT) feels plastic to me. Everything that happens is out of coincidence or luck, which gives you that cheap taste. I liked some characters and scenes, but my liking for it can only go so far. I'm not gonna say it's a waste of time because it didn't feel like that to me. Just go to the theaters expecting to see a fan made movie, that's all.

Now I'm just saying words to complete the minimum requirement of six hundred characters which I think is too much.

I loved the first two live-action Hellboy movies and I even enjoyed the two animated movie and on the other hand, I absolutely couldn't stand the 2019 movie and I'm glad that it failed because that wasn't my Hellboy. Now, I've just finished watching Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) and I'm surprised by how decent this movie especially since I wasn't excited for this movie.

Positives for Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024): First off, I appreciated that this movie decided to go the fantasy-horror route only especially since one of my main criticisms of the 2019 movie was that it couldn't decide which genre it wanted to be in. I liked that the filmmakers kept the look of Hellboy practical with no CGI. I also appreciated that this wasn't just another generic superhero movie that have been coming out nowadays. I also loved that the movie is more small scale with its approach to the story. And finally, Jack Kesy is good as the version of Hellboy and he's able to stand on his own without having me comparing him to Ron Perlman.

Negatives for Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024): The movie is very low-budget and it clearly shows in the final product. There are also some wacky CGI that are bad, but not horrible. And finally, I don't know if this movie will start a new franchise due to the limitations and that would suck because there's a lot that can work and be improved on in sequels.

Overall, Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) is a solid enough superhero horror movie that breathe some fresh air into the superhero genre and I would like to see this turned into a franchise.

No spoilers, i'll be brief.

Now, i've not read the source material, but did watch all three movies (liked 'em... even third one, with mr. Harbour, was not all that bad) though. And played PC game back in 2000 (i am old). So... this flick? Worked for me. 5/10 or even 6/10 easily. Has some good acting, has some bad acting, production budget is low and it shows, but the story is pretty good and horror elements are there. Old village in the middle of nowhere, deal with a devil, touch of witchcraft and necromancy. Do not expect fancy CGI, though some practical make-up is spot on. Probably would have worked better as a mini-series - say, four episodes, an hour each. More space for story development, character arcs and general progression.

To conclude. Not nearly as terrible as i thought it would be.

Not the greatest praise, i know.

But still a praise.

I liked it but I can see why some wont.. It is very low key, low budget and quite like a Shudder streaming exclusive that you like but will never watch again. It leans highly on Horror and supernatural stuff like a Hellboy movie should. Acting is mostly bad but I really like this version of Hellboy. It needs a better director, some better actors and the story needs touching up.

I'd love to see a sequel, they hint of a 60's theme (this is set in 1959) but this film will bomb as I only noticed it was out now and I pay attention to this stuff.

I did like the last one so what do I know? It's worth watching on streaming.

People are addicted to soulless, mass produced, green screen, fast-edited blockbusters with ridiculous budgets that treat the viewers like 8 year olds with ADD. Well this ain't one of them.

The story is smaller in scale, which is what the superhero genre needs after it's been marvelized beyond recognition during the last 20 years. The cast is doing a good job, the pace is fine, the 90 minute running time is ideal, the cinematography is great. Could've used a better soundtrack and some more light in certain sequences.

Of course if it's not your cup of tea, you can always rewatch the abysmal 2019 Hellboy.