I ain't no boy

Hellboy is one of the first generation (I think that's right) of comic book movies that came out between the late 90s and early 2000s. I think it was really Blade that was the first big comic movie. Not counting Superman or Batman of course. In this case, Hellboy (the topic of this post) came out in 2004, and was Guillermo del Toro's first major production, unless you count Blade II. Where was I?

Nazis, demons, and random gadgets what more do you want in a popcorn flick? Plus, bonus! Niles Crane plays the underwater dude, movie name "Abe Sapien." Yes I know it is David Hyde Pierce. And let us not forget Selma Blair as, yep, a brooding character. Ron Perlman might have actually been born to be Hellboy. I mean without the makeup he kind of looks like Hellboy. Oh, by the way, Ron Perlman was in Blade II. True story.

This is a good action/sci-fi movie. The story is adequate. The acting is sufficient.

6/10, but a really strong 6. I don't know why I don't just adopt a rating system that incorporates half points...

Smaug Delivers

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is yet another excellent addition in the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkein's Middle Earth mythology. Every time I see Peter Jackson's renditions in this genre I always think of Meet the Feebles. It's amazing that it is the same director. You would think his early work doomed him from every heading up an A-list franchise.

I think that The Desolation of Smaug is possibly in the group of sequels that are actually better than the movies that precede them. I would throw The Godfather: Part II, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Dark Knight, and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. Yes I know these are not controversial positions to take. Oh my gosh, how could I forget Terminator 2: Judgment Day? Anyways, this is not to say that TDOS (that's "The Desolation of Smaug" in case you were wondering) is as good as the sequels already listed, but I think TDOS is better than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. TDOS has more action than AUJ (that's "An Unexpected Journey") and the characters start to come into their own beyond the introduction period of AUJ.

Listen, this is pretty simple. If you like the Lord of the Rings movies, or fantasy movies (there aren't really a ton of these) then you will like The Desolation of Smaug. 7/10, good solid entertaining movie.