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Making films that rely on imagination is tricky because there is a line that filmmakers have to draw between being imaginative and being silly. Hellboy crosses that line.

Hellboy (2019) is a reboot of the previous Hellboy films by Guillermo del Toro, and still follows demon Hellboy (David Harbour) as he fights monsters to save humanity. In this new feature, Hellboy battles a powerful witch named Nimue (Mila Jovovich) who aims to destroy the world as we know it, and rule over the new world that takes its place . With matters such as identity, acceptance, and destiny in play, Hellboy’s experiences an internal battle, in addition to the external one.

What is the difference between this reboot and the previous films?

Plot-wise almost nothing; the new feature seems like just another one of Hellboy’s adventures where he fights monsters, argues with his father (Ian McShane), and gets drunk.

However, this new feature is very different when it comes to gore, as it features much more terrifying images, and they’re quite frequent. The earlier films were not exactly the best films for your child but were still somewhat kid-friendly, this one definitely is not.

Another difference is that this film is much more ridiculous and cartoonish than all the previous films. Not that the entire concept is not absurd, but Guillermo del Toro added a certain class to his movies that is missing here. Instead, the film feels like a weird not-too-good cartoon you would find on a random channel.

The makeup and special effects are a major part of that silliness with excessive use in most scenes with creatures. What Hellboy fans will definitely notice is how different Hellboy’s face looks, and how in some scenes the makeup would not look as good as others.

For the acting, David Harbour did a good job keeping the essence of the loved character, and also adding his own personality to it. The only noticeable difference was that he did not seem as fit as he should be playing this role, which was evident in his physique as well as in the action scenes. Mila Jovovich’s performance was fitting for her character, with her talent showed in several scenes through subtle facial expressions that evoked just the right amount of information. Ian McShane’s performance was good enough, but it was not the most memorable of performances.

If you are a fan of the previous Hellboy films by Guillermo del Toro, you will probably be curious to watch this reboot. However, if what you liked about the old movies was their mixture of action and imagination with class then there is a big chance you will get deeply disappointed with this one.