Finally, a movie this Summer that assumes you are smart enough to get it. Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed this feature and you can tell he was making a movie he wanted to see, not what he thought the public or investors wanted in order to make money. The story was good, the dialog intelligent and darkly funny. The visuals are extraordinary as you would expect from del Toro. He takes great care in his creatures and with CGI effects he can bring to the screen his director’s vision. Perlman has a charisma that can’t be ignored. You can’t help but root for the lovable demon. I can’t watch the old Beauty & the Beast shows, but I understand why so many did. The Wu-shu acrobatic fights are de rigor these days and I’m a sucker for good sword and spear demonstrations. I even saw an actor move around without her finger on the trigger of her Glock, a nod to a semblance of proper gun handling. I don’t think Hellboy will be part of the Avenger Project, but this super hero movie is as good as the Hulk and very close to Ironman, in my opinion. I went to a matinee, but I would not have been disappointed paying full price for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.