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Parents' Guide to

Hellboy (2004)

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Entertaining but scary superhero tale is violent.

Movie PG-13 2004 121 minutes
Hellboy (2004) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 13 parent reviews

WellWatchedMovieGoer584
WellWatchedMovieGoer584 Adult
July 21, 2021
age 13+

Great Movie For Teenagers

I was skeptical when I first learned about Hellboy, because I didn't really know what it was about and I'd never read the comics before. However, one day while I was home alone, I decided to watch it. I must say - it was amazing!! It had plot, action, a team of paranormal investigators (of sorts), romance, and a very unique hero. I was thirteen when I watched Hellboy, and fourteen (I think) when I watched it again, this time with my parents and brothers (ages 9 and 7). Watching it with them was fun!! Please note that the Hellboy my family and I saw was also the Director's cut, so it probably included stuff that wasn't in the original (since I've only seen the director's cut, I can't say what was different). Also, it doesn't say this in the initial review, but I thought John Myers was a pretty good role model. He was diligent, he was kind, and he was loyal. In my opinion he was an excellent example of a good friend.
fahimforid
fahimforid Adult
December 19, 2020
age 10+
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on Mike Mignola's comic book series, HELLBOY centers on the titular antihero, who has the body of a Hell-spawned demon and the heart of a human. The film depicts how Hellboy made it to Earth as a child, then forwards to the present, in which the adult Hellboy is the supersized ward of Dr. Broom and the Bureau for Paranomal Research and Defense (BPRD). Cigar-munching, cat-loving Hellboy (Ron Perlman) has a huge stone hand and forearm that help him to pummel baddies. He's their most famous inmate, despite the fact that the U.S. government does its best to deny that Hellboy exists. When evil Russian villain Rasputin, his goons, and some rather nasty Hounds of Hell try to bring the Gods of Chaos to Earth, it's time to call in Hellboy & Co. Hellboy is endearingly human, with a penchant for wiseguy understatement and his love for his adopted family of misfits at the Bureau, especially doe-eyed and dangerous Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). They seem literally made for each other, as the woman who has trouble controlling her pyrotechnics wouldn't want a boyfriend who wasn't fireproof.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (35 ):

Director Guillermo Del Toro captures some of the visual color, tone, and beauty of the comic book. But he sometimes makes you feel like you are reading it over someone else's shoulder, and that person takes too long to finish a page. Del Toro filled Blade 2 with whirling swords, back-flipping vampires, and frenetic action, at times rendering the fights an incomprehensible blur; he doesn't make that error again, but rather introduces a comparatively sleepy pace for Hellboy that seems to stretch its 132-minute length into a much longer movie, padded in parts by unnecessary and clichéd scenes and overkill in the squiggly-monsters-in-dripping-cavernous-cellars category.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the father-son bond between Dr. Broom and Hellboy, why they fight, and how this relationship impacts both of their characters.

  • The movie touches on an issue that runs throughout the comic book series, that of Hellboy's commitment to defense of humans despite his demon form. What does being human mean for Hellboy? Where does he have the power of choice?

  • How does Hellboy break the mold of the "traditional" superhero? How is he similar to superheroes in other movies who often feel less like heroes and more like misfits because of their appearance and supernatural abilities?

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