15 years after Guillermo Del Toro brought the character to the big screen, Mike Mignola’s comic book creation reboots via 2019’s Hellboy. During a prologue set in 517 AD, King Arthur (Mark Stanley) and Merlin (Brian Gleeson) attempt to deal with the threat from Vivian Nimue (Milla Jovovich), also known as the “Queen of Blood”.

Initially it appears that they agree to a truce. Instead, Nimue ends up cut into pieces, with the different body parts dispatched to various corners of the globe to prevent magical reunification.

In present day, supernatural hero Hellboy (David Harbour) finds himself on a mission to the English countryside where he battles giants. He also encounters a resurrected Nimue and needs to stop her attempts at apocalyptic domination.

If I really want to see a movie, reviews don’t change my plans. Persistently poor notices will impact my expectations, but if I maintain a strong desire to view a flick, I’ll go no matter what.

Although I liked 2004’s Hellboy and 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I loved neither, and they didn’t make me a dedicated fan of the franchise. Still, I thought enough of them that I figured I’d see 2019’s Hellboy theatrically.

Relentlessly bad reviews pushed me away from my local multiplex. Even a level of mediocrity would’ve still sent me to see Hellboy theatrically, but with notices that called the film “a complete failure” and a “slog”, I figured I’d give it a pass.

My standards for home viewership remain much lower – hey, I gotta churn out content for the site! – so that meant I’d give the new Hellboy a go on my TV. Does it deserve the brutal notices it earned? Maybe not, but I find it hard to locate much I’d call successful here.

As noted, I didn’t love the two Del Toro flicks, but they work much better than the 2019 version, at least partly because they show signs of insight and humanity. As painted by Del Toro and played by Ron Perlman, Hellboy manages a good balance of tough guy bravado and insecure humanity, all delivered with a fine dollop of dark wit.

Although I don’t think Harbour flops as Hellboy, he doesn’t bring close to the same level of depth to the part. In this flick, Hellboy lacks much real personality. Buried beneath makeup, Harbour manages a passable performance but he fails to add depth or spark to the role.

Given the script’s many limitations, though, I can’t really fault Harbour for these problems, as I doubt Perlman could’ve done much with the character as written. The screenplay touches on Hellboy’s conflicts and challenges but doesn’t convey them in a meaningful manner, so it leaves him as a cartoony protagonist.

None of the supporting actors pick up the slack. As Hellboy’s “father” Professor Broom, Ian McShane feels glib and without the gravitas John Hurt brought to the role. Jovovich cashes a check as our lackluster villain, and no one else stands out from the crowd.

Again, I can’t blame the actors, as the tedious script leaves them so little room for expression that blah performances feel inevitable. Hellboy touches on the superficial appeal of the character without the emotional elements needed to make matters successful.

Despite an inherently simple plot, Hellboy delivers a massive mess of a narrative. The story meanders down a slew of confusing, unnecessary paths, none of which help it in the long run.

Instead, they feel like they exist to distract the viewer from the film’s inherent emptiness. We get a mix of flashbacks and side journeys that seem like they should enliven the tale, but they don’t.

Rather than add impact to the story, these moments simply lead us away from the basic plot’s purpose and ensure that a messy movie becomes even less coherent. As I noted, the basic narrative of Hellboy seems pretty simple, but the filmmakers do their best to muck it up and bring us something incoherent.

Throw in seemingly endless action montages linked to grating rock music as well as some shockingly bad computer effects and Hellboy flops. It might not be the worst comic book adaptation I’ve seen, but it’s lousy.

Hellboy appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The presentation seemed to match the source.

The biggest issue stemmed to the movie’s dark look, as the many low-light shots could seem a bit dense and murky. While I thought this replicated the original photography, it still made the end result a little mushy.

This factor impacted sharpness, as those dim scenes could seem a little soft. Still, most of the flick appeared pretty accurate. I saw no signs of jaggies or moiré effects, and the film lacked edge haloes or print flaws.

Though much of Hellboy went with the modern standard teal and orange palette, it managed to open up with some more dynamic hues at times. These seemed vivid and full, and the disc’s HDR boosted a nice sense of these tones.

Blacks came across nicely. Even with the frequent dimness in the image, the dark elements showed rich material. The image replicated the original photography and largely satisfied.

I felt pleased with the solid Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Hellboy. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the mix offered plenty of opportunities for lively auditory information, and it took good advantage of these.

With all that action, the mix filled the speakers on a frequent basis. The track placed information in logical spots and blended all the channels in a smooth, compelling manner.

Audio quality was also positive. Music sounded lively and full, while effects delivered accurate material. Those elements showed nice clarity and kick, with tight low-end.

Speech was always distinctive and concise, too. This mix worked well for the film.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both offered identical Atmos tracks, so no changes emerged in the sonic department.

As for visuals, the 4K UHD looked a bit tighter, and it showed superior colors and contrast. This wasn’t a major upgrade over the Blu-ray, but it became the more satisfying rendition.

Called Tales of the Wild Hunt, a three-part documentary spans one hour, 11 minutes, 28 seconds. It provides notes from producers Carl Hampe, Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner and Lloyd Levin, creator Mike Mignola, special character and makeup designer Joel Harlow, costume designer Stephanie Collie, property master Dirk Buchmann, sculptor Norman Cabrera, production designer Paul Kirby, screenwriter Andrew Cosby, and actors David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Daniel Dae Kim, and Sasha Lane.

“Hunt” examines the series’ reboot and story/characters, cast and performances, makeup and effects, stunts and action, costume, creature and weapon design, sets and locations. Inevitably, some happy talk arrives, but “Hunt” largely offers an informative overview of the production.

Under Previsualization, we see three segments: “Giant Fight” (2:51), “Gru Vs. Hellboy” (3:32) and “London Apocalypse” (0:54). These show the scenes in their crude planning stages and they become a fun addition to the set.

Three Deleted Scenes ensue: “Full Pendle Hill Opening” (4:25), “Shower Scene” (1:24) and “Blood Queen & Gru in Parking Lot” (2:06). All three add minor elements but nothing especially memorable.

The package includes a Blu-ray copy of the film. That disc opens with ads for Anna, Long Shot and John Wick Chapter 3. No trailer for Hellboy appears here.

After 11 years, Hellboy reboots the series with dismal results. Almost nothing about this massive misfire satisfies. The 4K UHD provides very good picture and audio along with supplements led by an informative documentary. A creative and financial flop, Hellboy crushes the franchise dead.

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