Good Morning Lovelies, 

After leaving a huge impression on audiences’ way back when, the news that Hellboy would be returning but in a new form from David Harbour, the legendary Stranger Things actor, was one that excited fans. Rightfully so, when Harbour leaves quite the impression on viewers in the latest outing, which is out today on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD.

Flames are ablaze in the new feature, as Hellboy returns to take on the evil forms threatening the English countryside. A place that has become home to The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), who is seeking revenge for a past deceit from those that seek to hurt her. As the human world comes under threat from the dark world of the supernatural, Hellboy seeks to stop Nimue from destroying mankind for good one way or another.

Filled to the brim with gore and delights, the film does lack in its story. Something that even Harbour, in a brilliant performance, can’t help prevent. Right from the moment the film begins, in which a corpse is being pecked at by a crow, you know that this is going to be a feature that doesn’t hold back. Yet, in some ways, it would benefit from doing so.

Taking the action just a little bit to far, the flow of the film plays out in a manner that becomes over the top and hard to follow. Everything that seems to cement the idea that this new Hellboy will be one that will draw us in fully is lost in the idea that the only thing it has to give us is gore and grit. Both things that whilst the film has is played on too much.

In many ways, the reason to watch this film comes down to Harbour. Taking over the role from Ron Perlman, a man many loved in the position, was always going to be hard. Yet, Harbour does it brilliantly and without causing any sense of comparison with the previous star. He makes Hellboy his own figure and brings him into 2019 in his own way. You love him the same way in which you love him in Stranger Things. The Harbour charm is in full effect. It is simply a shame that the script doesn’t allow for him to fully display this and the other actors around him too.

Throughout the series tries to make audiences think about what could have become of the character. Had the series continued, it would have flowed in a different way, under a different director. But this time and this display is one that audiences have been given. A starring and fabulous performance from Harbour. A not so fabulous feature or script. Hellboy may just burn up with this 2019 feature.