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FANTASY/SUPERHERO HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (12A) 120min .00
Fresh from the critical and commercial success of his Oscar-feted Spanish horror-fantasy Pan ’5 Labyrinth, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to Hollywood with a second blockbuster adaptation of Dark Horse Comics’ cult supernatural title.
A new storyline, not based on an existing comic but co-written with the Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, pits the hell-spawned hero against a mighty mechanised legion of unstoppable warriors. An imaginatively designed prologue employing low-tech wooden puppets, and framed as a bedtime story read to young Hellboy by his adoptive human father Professor Bruttenholm (John Hurt playing a character killed in the previous film), fills in the backstory of an ancient war between men and magical creatures which finally ended with the construction of the ultimate deterrent. Cut to the present, and vengeance-driven elf Prince Nuada (Luke Goss, formerly of Bros, and not at all bad) is about the nefarious business of reanimating the automatons with the intention of wiping out mankind. Thus, Hellboy’s childhood nightmare comes true, as the big, red bruiser (once again played with sassy attitude by Ron Perlman) and his fellow super-powered freaks at the top secret Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense are mobilised by the US government to take down the troublesome pointy- eared sprite.
The sequel has more of everything - monsters, action, humour, character development, supporting cast and mythology - but it suffers from an overabundance of riches. As a result of trying to squeeze too much in the film’s pacing frequently drags, while the overlong and repetitive special effects-laden action set pieces outstay their welcome. Worse, the self- consciously corny humour of the comics and previous film is overplayed to the point of silliness, and attempts to develop romantic relationships between the characters, particularly Hellboy and fire-starter Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), fall flat. Even del Toro’s thematic preoccupation with reality and the imagination is beginning to wear thin. It certainly has its moments, but Hellboy II is a disappointment. (Jack Davis)
I Out now on general release.
COMEDY COLLEGE ROAD TRIP (U) 83min 0
Freaky Friday. director Roger Kumble's family-comedy-drama focuses on trust issues between high-flying teen Melanie (Raven-Symone) and her over-protective father, police chief James Poner (Martin Lawrence). When Melanie decides she wants to check out the universities in which she might pursue her academic career. Porter decides to be her an uninvited escort, provoking predictable father- daughter disagreements and leading to pat. obvious resolutions.
Having previously made a name for himself with Dangerous Liaisons updates Cruel Intentions l and 2. Kumble's take on family comedy reveals him as a talentless journeyman. Similar in paternally- frustrated tone to Ice Cube's Are We There Yet? Lawrence‘s portrait of Porter as a caring yet ridiculously obsessive father lacks any kind of gravitas; setting up Donny Osmond as Doug, a rival father whose smooth relationship with his own daughter makes Porter jealous, indicates the depth of family psychology that Col/age Road Trip completely fails to explore. Featuring a has-been like Osmond is bad enough, but throw a comedy pig into the mix to distract from Lawrence's endless range of unfunny eye-popping faces. and the 3 result is a bland bore that makes Lawrence's Big Momma '3 House franchise look colourful in comparison. (Eddie Harrison)
I General release from Fri 22 Aug. l
DRAMA BEN X (15) 93min 0..
COMEDY
GET SMART (12A) 109min coo After the financial/emotional excremental woes of Evan Almighty and Dan in Real Life, comic Steve Carell shores up his career with a safe property: Peter Segal's tent—pole blockbuster revamp of 19608 spy spoof Get Smart. Maxwell Smart (Carell) is an over-prepared secret agent whose clumsiness often leads to the apprehension of enemy spies. Given his chance to shine by fellow Agent 23 (Dwayne ‘The Rock' Johnson) and boss The Chief (Alan Arkin), Smart is sent to Moscow where he elicits the suppon of co-spy Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) as they attempt to thwart the terrorist schemes of KAOS megalomaniac Siegfried (Terence Stamp).
Despite rarely capturing the alternately juvenile and deadpan spirit of the Mel Brooks original. Get Smart just about passes muster due to an lavish production, with the climactic
race to stop the assassination of the
US president (James Caan) at a classical music concert featuring a range of car, train and plane stunts that wouldn't disgrace a Bond film. The satirical jabs aren‘t too smart; it's 40 years since spoofing secret agent paraphernalia was topical (shoe- phones and telephone box/elevators raise few laughs), but Carell's gift for
physical comedy endures; there's a
graceful scene in which Smart and Agent 99 traverse a roomful of lasers.
Entrapment-style. Otherwise, The
Rock's genial charm is wasted. as is Bill Murray in a tiny cameo. and only
Terence Stamp plays a blinder in an
unlikely partnership with Ken Davitain, still most recognisable as Borat's obnoxious manager. (Eddie Harrison) I General release from Fri 22 Aug.
Mock-documentary Ben X introduces us to teen Asperger's sufferer Ben. Moving backwards and forwards between his so-called life of bullying and high school torture and his escape into online role-playing games, the film's doom laden narrative is led by various talking heads recalling some seemingly
awful event.
Ben is a misunderstood victim, loner and oddball; his frustrations bring on claustrophobic angst because of his inability to convey what is happening to him. However. writer/director Nic Balthazar's debut feature dodges and ducks where you expect it to run straight. Every time you think the game is up for Ben (which, considering his fascination with knives. suicide and general death, is most of the time) he veers off towards a different ending.
The role-playing game element allows us to see Ben as he wants to be — freed of his disability. chivalrous, shy, kind and brave. What strikes a chord is that despite his self-perpetuating isolation, it's only when Ben learns to let other people into his world to help him and work together that he beats the bullies and starts to enjoy life. If no man is an island, Ben X dares suggest that autistic autocracies can be touched and even altered by the communal.
(Georgina Wilson-Powell) I Selected release from Fri 29 Aug.
21 Aug—4 Sep 2008 THE LIST 27