It’s been long enough to wonder if we’re ever going to see Hellboy make his way back to the big screen, but if it does happen it definitely feels as though it won’t be with David Harbour playing the part of the titular character. The beating that the most recent movie took was enough to make it clear to the producers that moving forward with a sequel wasn’t a wise idea, and if anyone recalls, the idea of moving ahead with Ron Perlman’s version after the second movie wasn’t exactly something that a lot of people behind the scenes were aiming for either. Unfortunately, despite all the bickering and complaining that fans have engaged in, nothing appears to keep them happy unless it’s what they want to see when they want to see it. This fickle nature that fans have is a bit irritating at times, but it’s also understandable since the nature of the Hellboy character is something that, if kept true to form from the comics, would be nothing short of brilliant if it were possible to bring this to the screen.
Some would argue that Perlman brought that kind of energy, and they would be right, but Harbour did manage to bring his own style to the character, though a lot of fans would disagree. The point in all this is that Hellboy is a fun and engaging story that harbors a lot of potential, but according to the fans, none of the movies have managed to get it perfect just yet. The mere thought that such a thing could be made perfect is funny since when it comes to comic book characters being adapted to the screen it’s been seen more than once that things are rarely bound to turn out in a perfect manner, since between casting, acting, and the acceptance of the fans, there’s a huge disconnect that has to be bridged by someone before anything is going to be considered as a success. There are comic characters that have accomplished this, but compared to the many that fans have disliked, they’re relatively few.
It does feel that another Hellboy movie would be a good idea, but trying to think of who could take up the mantle this time around, who might be brought in to help the big guy out, is kind of tough at the moment since if one were to take directly from the comics and not adapt the story in any other way than what is seen on the page, then it’s fair to say that fans might still be less than pleased. It’d be easy to say that fans don’t understand what such a transition means, but at this point far too many of them know very well what it means when a comic is bound to be transferred to the screen, and too many remaining demanding in their ways as they want to see as much possible of the original story while at the same they’re demanding to see something new and exciting in terms of the effects and the story. In other words, it’s a very ‘have your cake and eat it too’ moment that too many people won’t openly admit to as they blame the failure for the story on the storytellers and not their unreasonable expectations.
If another Hellboy movie ever comes along it feels reasonable to say that it would be best served to find a happy medium between the comics and the ideas of the writers and director in order to keep just enough of the source material alive while translating it into a modern story that might finally get the fans to admit that the story is fine, it’s their point of view that needs to change a bit. But, since hell isn’t about freeze over in a day, one can assume that another Hellboy movie isn’t going to be happening anytime soon since the idea appears to have soured and might take a bit of time to really appeal to those that are in charge of bringing such things back to life. It’s a hope that something might come within the next five to ten years, but it’s a hope that might not be realized until someone can look past the critical reviews that so many pay attention to before ever watching the movie. Hellboy is still a fun story, and both actors that have taken on the role have done their best to make it work. While Harbour and Perlman both put their own sense of humor into the character, it does feel as though Perlman was the less edgy of the two, while Harbour wasn’t quite as attached to the role. The truth is that they both did what they could, and in my personal opinion it worked. But if we ever see another Hellboy movie it’s bound to happen that neither man will be taking on the titular role again.
a happy medium
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