He was an avid fan of Howdy Doody as a child and now he loves to smoke cigars. He has a bad temper and is known to be indiscreet. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) works for the clandestine Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense but this heavily muscled detective with horns and tail always makes too big a scene in public while defending human beings from dastardly enemies of all types. This upsets his boss (Jeffrey Tambor), and he's not very popular with the public either. To make matters worse, he's been squabbling at home with Liz (Selma Blair) who doesn't appreciate his love of cats and his inability to clean up his messes.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a really big mess is being created by Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), an angry otherworldly being who wants to lead a band of machines and other bizarre creatures in a war against human beings who "have a hole in their hearts." Aided by a monstrous gorilla and a small army of vicious bugs whose diet of choice is the calcium in human bones and teeth, he destroys a crowd of wealthy folks at an auction. Hellboy is sent to investigate along with Liz, whose pyrotechnical skills are awesome, and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), an aquatic empath who is the brains of the team. Later, Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) joins them and irritates Hellboy with his cockiness and obedience to by-the-book-procedures.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is brilliantly directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) who has a knack for creating eerie and macabre imagery that fascinates and intrigues. In one of the best scenes in the film, Hellboy battles a huge forest being while cradling an infant he's saved in his arm. The message is clear: no matter how fierce a fighter he is, this detective is also a nurturing male! This side of his personality comes alive when Liz shares a secret that has been on her mind for a while.

Amidst all the intrigue and action, the storyline is propelled by the characters' needs for acceptance and love. Several times the Prince tries to take advantage of Hellboy's empathetic tendencies and outsider status to convince him to join the fight against the humans. Meanwhile, Abe Sapien is smitten when he meets Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), the Prince's twin sister. He confesses what he is feeling to Hellboy, who is dealing with his love for Liz, and the two males share a bonding moment singing along to Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You." It is a magical fairy tale sequence that offers an oasis from the mayhem which follows when they square off against Nuada in Ireland where the Golden Army of machines await combat orders.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army will appeal to the freak inside you who refuses to follow orders and is not afraid to let your gentle side out every once in a while.


Special DVD features include "Hellboy: In Service of The Demon" - over two hours of an extensive, in-depth look at the creation of Hellboy II; the director's notebook; a production workshop puppet theatre; image galleries; deleted scenes with optional director's commentary; Troll Market tour with director Guillermo del Toro; and a feature commentary with Guillermo del Toro.