हेलबॉय: द क्रुकेड मेन

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.

This film has an unique place in my cinema viewing history. It's the only series I've ever seen on a big screen where I've been the only person in the auditorium for each one. This latest episode sees the eponymous devil (Jack Kesy) escorting a lethal spider on a train with aspiring para-psychologist "Bobbie Joe" (Adeline Rudolph) when an accident sees them deposited into the middle of the Appalachian forest. Here they encounter long-since abandoned coal mines and an equally out-of-touch community that smacks a great deal of "The Deliverance" (1972). With little sign of their spider, they encounter the returning local lad "Tom" (Jefferson White) and are quickly helping him repatriate his dad to the cemetery and keep his ex-girlfriend/local witch "Effie" (Leah McNamara) out of the hands of the real devil. It's dark and misty settings do go some way to creating a slight sense of mystical peril, but the rest of this is badly acted and written with zero originality and few opportunities for action or humour. Kesy seems content to take his fee for wandering around wagging his pointy red tail and smoking whilst the director Brian Taylor uses plenty of tried and tested cinematic techniques to try and breathe some life (or death) into this derivative drudge of a film. I kept thinking he's got a pair of goggles on his head - but them's what used to be his horns. Like his horns, whatever made this work first time round has long gone and I can't say I'd even bother with this on a streaming service on a wet Wednesday in February. No more, please.

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.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" tries to revive the iconic character's universe but faces serious challenges that prevent it from reaching the heights of Guillermo del Toro's films. The low budget is not enough to capture the grandeur and complexity of Hellboy's world, resulting in a rather limited effort overall. It feels like they tried to reboot Harry Potter with a budget equivalent to an episode of a mediocre CW show. While the production team clearly made their best effort to address the shortcomings, it was a tough task.

Additionally, the supporting cast is another weak point. The performances are weak and often unconvincing, even less realistic and more frightening than roles in "Power Rangers." However, Jack Kesy as Hellboy is one of the few positive aspects. I hope this role opens doors for him, as it is one of the few things that really work in the film.

The makeup and special effects also appear cheap and uninspired, failing to create an immersive experience and making the attempt to build a scary atmosphere fall short, giving it an amateurish feel.

On the other hand, the film's atmosphere, though limited, is a positive aspect, along with the soundtrack featuring eerie melodies that contribute to the dark and mystical tone the film aims for. However, the sound editing, especially the jump scares, is overly excessive.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" is a film that tries to capture the essence of a complex universe with limited resources, resulting in a movie that feels more like a fan-made project than a true reinvention of the character. It is an example of how a low budget can severely compromise a film's potential, even with genuine effort from the production team.

You'd expect Hellboy to be a wild ride full of intense action, epic battles, and the kind of adrenaline-pumping scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. Instead, what we got was a movie bogged down by endless, mind-numbing dialogue.

And the worst part? Most of that talking wasn't even from Hellboy himself! He felt more like a background character in his own movie.

It was mostly the other characters driving the narrative, leaving Hellboy sidelined and underused. The film dragged on, with far too many unnecessary conversations and not enough of the action we came to see.

Honestly, it was baffling. You sit down expecting a badass, fiery adventure with a legendary comic book hero, and instead, you get a tedious mess where Hellboy barely even shines.

The pacing was slow, the character development weak, and it felt like the filmmakers completely missed the essence of what makes Hellboy so beloved.

It wasn't just bad-it was so, so, so bad. The disappointment was overwhelming. It's hard to believe they dropped the ball this much on such a promising character.