Hellboy

Comparing film adaptations to their native versions is an ugly business. They operate in different manners and require different types of interpretation. Direct comparisons, to declare "not as good as", is to walk brazenly into apples versus oranges territory. But at the same time one cannot and should not ignore the information and expectations you bring to a film, as for good or ill they make up an important part of the experience.

Which all leads me in the weird, dissonant position of believing one should not condemn a film solely for abandoning elements of it's origin but at the same time believing Hellboy to be outrageous horse hockey for disregarding almost everything that makes the comics spectacular.

I mean, really, there's only so much of the initial source one can defenestrate (now there's a word I need to use more often) before you're left with something else entirely, and gosh darn it, I loved Hellboy. If you've not read the comics you should probably disregard much of this criticism and I assume it all comes off as an entertaining but ultimately thin superhero feature. You should also read the comics.

Firstly Hellboy, in the comics is not a selfish and petulant child. The film version still maintains some of the endearingly blunt and pragmatic approach he takes to the arcane world that surrounds him, and while I can understand the need to add to his somewhat quiet persona I question the decision to make him an asshole.

Much of his assholery is involved in the clumsy romantic subplot, crow barred in because, well, there has to be a romance, right? In this case a triangle between Hellboy, the pyrokenetic and deeply troubled Liz Sherman and the Audience Surrogate. Mr. Surrogate stands around and has things explained to him so that the script writers could knock off early. This is entirely counter to Mignola's beautiful storytelling, subtlety layering exposition as he does between the fine caramel of punching giant monsters in the face.

Perhaps the most problematic revision between the two is the reduction of the brilliantly crafted eldritch world of folklore he inhabits into a sci fi/fantasy crime fighting force with simple references to the occult. While it's true that Hellboy is essentially about a big red guy smacking mythical beasts, it's the contrast between this straightforward principle and the complex, grisly and unbelievably well researched mythology that truly makes the comic, and something the film didn't even attempt.

In short, the film is not as good as the comic and apples can piss off.