cddesigns

Mike Mignola has long said that he wished for one of the Hellboy films to truly capture the feel of the comics, and this was achieved with Hellboy: The Crooked Man. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, this faithful retelling captures the atmosphere and even the colour palette of the story perfectly. Fans of the comic will notice several panels from the story replicated almost exactly on-screen. The actors do a great job of embodying their characters as well. Jack Kesey is the perfect choice to portray Hellboy as he is in the comics, more brooding and subdued than his incarnations in previous films. The grimy, gritty feel of the film also succeeds in making viewers squirm without the need for gratuitous gore. Although newcomers to Hellboy can still enjoy this film as much as a seasoned fan, it's recommended that first-timers read Hellboy: The Crooked Man graphic novel to fully appreciate the film.

Like many other GenXers who was a goth in highschool, the original Beetlejuice was (and still is) among one of my favorite films, and I had high hopes for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Visually and aesthetically, I was not disappointed; the film captured the blue-filtered, twisted atmosphere of the original afterlife effortlessly, including character design, and it was nice to see some claymation and good practical effects again. The writers did their best at making an excuse for Jeffrey Jones not to appear, I think the best they could given the circumstances, but given that he was a key character in the original it felt odd how much they kept the character at arms' length during the film. My main misgiving, however, was the sardine-can storyline. There were far too many side stories happening at once throughout the course of the film, making the new characters who were introduced feel superficial and consequently unrelatable and even forgettable to the audience. Shoehorned in was significantly more song and dance than the original, which make the film feel almost more like a macabre variety show than a story to sit and watch, unlike the original where there were outbursts of noise and activity but needed pockets of silence, melancholy and creepiness. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was missing these bits of reprieve, instead being a constant merry-go-round of noise and activity. Although there was a good bit of throwback references and fan service, this film just felt like it was trying to be everything to everyone at once, and as a result misses the charm and tone of the original. In summation, it has the look but is missing the heart.