--- title: "Hellboy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hellboy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/hellboy" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Hellboy (2004): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 14 reviews: 10 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics warm to Hellboy, and the praise gathers in two places: Guillermo del Toro’s affection for Mike Mignola’s comic, and Ron Perlman in the lead. Reviewers describe the film as a comic brought to life with visual flair and heart, and Perlman’s gruff, cigar-chewing demon is named as its best asset in nearly every notice. The gothic design and dry comedy are liked, and several later pieces argue it has aged well against more anonymous superhero films. The reservations cluster around the story. Some find the plot preposterous or muddled, the squid-god threat less engaging than the fistfights, and the mix of gags and drama uneasy. The Los Angeles Times calls it a triumph of design over meaning, and a few note excess CGI and shaky supporting turns. The spread is narrow, most landing between good and very good; the lone dissent comes from Eye for Film, which finds it loud, boring and too violent for children. ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 4/4. 30 March 2004. Del Toro is drawn to the comic's hopeful humanity and creates a generous, morally clear film that evokes the allure of evil while emphasizing isolation and love conquering all. The director's startling use of color and moral clarity stand out in this action-packed extravaganza. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hellboy/) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2004. The film brings Mike Mignola's comic to life with visual flair and a big red heart, thanks especially to Ron Perlman's grounded, soulful performance as the grouchy demon hero. Del Toro honours the source material's arcane mechanics and bug imagery while delivering action set-pieces and wry comedy. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/763) ## Variety — Joe Leydon Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2004. Festival review. A rock-the-house sci-fi/fantasy extravaganza that apportions sound and fury with heart and soul, it is a labor of love for director Guillermo del Toro. The well-cast actors generate rooting interest and propel the plot through their colorful personalities, with production values vividly rendering the comic mythos. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/hellboy-1200534276/) ## Little White Lies — Daniel Seddon Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 April 2019. Guillermo del Toro's 2004 film remains a subversive, gothic-laced antidote to contemporary superhero movies, with Ron Perlman's cigar-chewing anti-hero providing compelling existential depth amid lavish spectacle. Its idiosyncratic artistic flourishes and dry comedy set it apart as a uniquely heartfelt comic adaptation. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/hellboy-guillermo-del-toro-subversive-superhero-movie) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 April 2004. The film feels like a comic book come to life, full of energy, zeal, and joy in its making despite nonstop special effects and a preposterous story. Ron Perlman excels as the title character, chomping his cigar and battling demons with glee while the director brings the source material's spirit to the screen. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hellboy-2004) ## Time Out — PW Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2004. Fun is in plentiful supply thanks to del Toro's gleeful direction and especially Ron Perlman's star-making turn as the wisecracking, cigar-chomping hero. The film delivers furious entertainment through coruscating set-pieces against urban-occult backdrops without navel-gazing. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hellboy) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2004. Del Toro brings Guillermo del Toro's comic-book anti-hero swiftly up to speed with an atmospheric WWII prologue and present-day action, introducing a team of supernatural outcasts while nurturing a romantic triangle. The director's loyalty to the source material shines through in the blocky architecture and character work, especially Ron Perlman's gruff, blue-collar charisma as Hellboy, though the nebulous squid-god threat feels less engaging than the fist-fests. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hellboy-review/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 January 2005. The critic praises Guillermo del Toro's personal project adapting the obscure comic into a rip-roaring film full of dark, brooding imagery. It is seen as pleasingly Gothic yet vibrantly alive, with strong casting including Ron Perlman as the cigar-smoking Hellboy and good supporting turns. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/jan/07/dvdreviews.shopping2) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2004. Del Toro's handsome adaptation delivers visual flair, impressive effects and an engaging portrait of a quirky outsider hero, with Perlman excelling in the title role. It never quite transcends its comic-book origins like the best recent adaptations, though monster designs and action sequences are effective. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/hellboy/4017970.article) ## Los Angeles Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 2 April 2004. The movie is an enjoyable if somewhat neutered defender of the free world, with Hellboy still hard-boiled but now wearing a smile. It is principally a triumph of design over meaning, succeeding more in conveying what happens than how it happens or why it matters. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-02-et-dargis2-story.html) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 6 April 2004. The film showcases a strong central character brought to life with gruff tenderness by Ron Perlman, and it looks great while staying true to the comic's world. However, it uneasily mixes comedy gags with drama and fails to make the story or action fully come alive. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/hellboy-1798199484) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2015. The critic praises Guillermo del Toro's 2004 adaptation for successfully blending studio expectations with the director's distinctive weird, earnest sensibility and passion for monsters and mythology. Ron Perlman's blue-collar Hellboy stands out as a highlight, though some compromises for mainstream appeal, like the everyman side character, slightly dilute the focus. [Read the review](https://collider.com/hellboy-guillermo-del-toro-movies-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating B. 9 July 2013. The piece praises the film as enjoyable entertainment that showcases del Toro's style and gives Ron Perlman a perfect leading role, highlighting its fun tone, emotional core and romantic elements. It notes flaws including shaky supporting performances and excessive CGI. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/essentials-guillermo-del-toro-best-20130709/2/) ## Eye for Film — David Haviland Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2004. The critic calls the film loud and boring with a nonsensical plot full of repetitive fights and illogical developments. It is deemed too violent for children and too stupid for adults. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hellboy-film-review-by-david-haviland) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/hellboy.md