I saw Hellboy Rebooted..

The latest movie based on Mike Mignola's "Hellboy" may not be titled the third, but that's sure as hell (pardon the pun) what it is. 

To enforce the matter, Neil "Dog Soldiers" Marshall emulates Guillermo del Toro's fiery style. Even Andrew "Eureka" Cosby's screenplay (based on Dark Horse's "Hellboy in Mexico"; "The Storm and the Fury"; "The Wild Hunt"; and "Darkness Calls") oozes of the first flicks, with an irreverent yet bittersweet glow. David "Stranger Things" Harbour's Hellboy looks and sounds like Ron Perlman's, even if he comes across a tinge more or less adolescent. When our big, red lug springs into action, it's for London, England's Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (and to a lesser extent, the adjacent Osiris Club), but it might as well be smack-dab in Connecticut or Colorado--sorry, make that Trenton, NJ (I'm home-base biased, you see)--for all of its transcendental similarities. 

Yep, "Hellboy '19" is in a nostalgic cover-all-bases (even if it pulls the timeline back several notches to justify its "reboot" status), which is good for those who cherish atmospheric continuity. For those who want something all-together different, it's better to go elsewhere, but then those folks probably aren't Hellboy fans to begin with, so to hell (tee-hee) with them. (Oh, there are some R-rated, "Evil Dead"/"Hellraiser" trimmings throughout this chapter, but all in all, the noble retread reflects the brassy ilk that most associate with Mignola's creation, whether on page or film.)

For this particular plot, our horned, bulbous-fisted brawler confronts a supernatural vixen: the formidable Nimue, the Blood Queen, a wicked knockoff of the Lady of the Lake of Arthurian lore, portrayed by fantasy-film siren, Milla Jovovich. This redesigned persona is comic-based (for those who relish Hellboy's purest history) and out to avenge a "wrong" from centuries past.

This does propose an interesting situation for Hellboy, since the two emanate from the same, troubled realm (and share, therefore, some of the same, angry angles), but who we kiddin'? Hellboy is the hero (or anti-hero, for those inclined to debate such trite concerns), and he's not gonna stray.  It's how he holds his position that counts, and as long as he does... 

On the flip side, one could argue that the film's preeminent attraction (i.e. driving force) is Jovovich. She smokin' hot (even when she's unassembled and all ashy lookin'--strange but true), and like Amber Heard's Mera, who splashed "Aquaman" to super-sexy heights, she springs "Hellboy" to an ironic, heavenly vantage.  

Though my valorous assessment may cause some to cringe, I'll have 'em know that there's nothin' wrong with stickin' quality cheesecake (even of the weird kind) into a production. The comic-book/superhero genre is one of the few left where that's acceptable. Whenever the ol' standby can be inserted, all the better, and boy, does Jovovich ever do it justice.  (It's too bad, though, she didn't enter "Hellboy" as "Resident Evil'"s Alice. That would have made a cool crossover, though I suppose if fans want Alice to team with anyone, it's Kate Bekinsale's "Underworld" Selene.  Hey, maybe one of these cinematic days...)

In addition to the gorgeous Jovovich, Ian McShane (one of the best actors ever) does a stand-up job as Hellboy's stand-in dad, Trevor Bruttenholm (played by Kevin Trainor and John Hurt in the del Toro chapters). McShane supplies a brinier interpretation than we've seen before, though nowhere near as audacious as the actor's Mr. Swearengen of "Deadwood". Still, on the opportunist occasion, that Old West crassness comes through, which grants a welcome, sardonic undertone to the escalating, colossal calamity. 

The rest of the cast is as efficacious and yes, reminiscent of those before, with Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan; Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida; Stephen Graham as Graugach; Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio; Alistair Petrie as Lord Adam Glaren; Thomas Haden Church as Lobster Johnson; Laila Mose as the Gatekeeper; and Brian Gleeson as good ol' (and quite dusty) Merlin.  

Even with its first-rate cast, "Hellboy '19" might still be perceived as just another overstuffed B flick (though aren't all Lion's Gate releases?), but for many of us, that category clicks. Who needs all that prim-and-proper, Oscar-contender crap anyway?  

I don't know if this "Hellboy" will have a big enough pulse to draw the general public, which is key to sequel clinching, but I do hope it does well.  I want a "Hellboy 4" (better yet, a weekly series), no matter who directs, writes or stars, so long as the tone stays eccentric, wry and infernal.