Polar is an early contender for worst film of the year, but daaammnnn Hellboy runs it close. Neil Marshall's reboot sacrifices the soul of Guillermo del Toro's fantastic duology for mountains of exposition, gallons of blood, and swearing. Lots. And. Lots. Of. Swearing. I mean I wouldn't have been against the idea of a third Hellboy, but this was just not it, man. David Harbour is undoubtedly invested in this film, but his take on the big fisted badass is all wrong, swapping out dogged soul for sarcasm and angst that grates fast. Combine him with Stephen Graham's unfathomably annoying pig-monster, Daniel Dae Kim's blander than bland were-jaguar, Sasha Lane's dull psychic and Ian McShane's.... Ian McShane, and you have the most unremarkable line up imaginable. The only cast member who consistently entertains here is Milla Jovovich, whose Arthurian sorceress is actually a decent villain, albeit one with little more to do than watch Love Island and look menacing. The gore is tasteless and unnecessary, seemingly sharing Polar's more-is-less enthusiasm for bloodshed, but like that film, loses itself in its fascination with excess.
It's funny, too, because despite the fact that things are happening all of the time here, and all of them are ridiculously over the top, this movie is unbelievably boring. The characters are paper thin, never given time to develop under all of the snark and action. The climax favours (horribly CGI'd) excess over investment, and the bizarre fake-out final act that happens an hour before the film actually ends is a mind numbingly awful decision in a film full of them. Brian Gleeson's appearance as Merlin is particularly awful, a random, mismatched head-scratcher of a scene that half-heartedly ties Hellboy into Arthurian legend. The result is bloated tripe, with the only real glee coming from a hilariously strange cameo from Thomas Haden Church as a legendary vigilante. Everything else? Hellish
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The DCEU is often criticised for its obsession with angst. And yeah, the offerings so far have been steeped in cynicism, to the extent that I'm starting to think that it thinks that fun is a bad thing. Because comic books and superheroes and blockbusters are supposed to be fun, and this is something that Shazam! undoubtedly understands. This movie is big-hearted, unashamedly so, and it's this syrup-sweet wholesomeness that makes it far and away DC's best live action offering in the last decade. Okay, maybe the story is small scale and not very universe-y, but honestly, that's not a bad thing, because for the first time.... kind of ever, it feels like this series is doing it's own thing instead of just riffing on a certain other superheroic universe. The tale of Billy Batson was streamlined and focused, telling its own story with a genuine enthusiasm for comic book spectacle that honestly feels so refreshing after all of that jaded cynicism. It's incredibly funny, but is never annoyingly knowing about it. It pokes fun at superheroes while avoiding sneering irony, and this good natured sense of humour takes this movie far.
And the good naturedness doesn't stop at the comedy. Shazam! has a huge heart, and by the end of it, you genuinely care about all of these characters. Zachary Levi is a delight here, being both a cool hero and a clueless teenage boy, and it's his big hearted hero that gives the film it's joyous edge. Mark Strong also makes for a formidable villain, his Black Adam more than your typical conniving businessman. There's a healthy amount of horror too, which turns out to be an ace callback to the nightmare fuel of family films gone by. I suppose if I had to nitpick, the tone is maybe a little too light in the climax, but the decision to keep the film firmly rooted in its irresistible optimism is definitely a good one, so it's not too big a deal. Turns out superheroes can be fun. Who knew?
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