The first of two animated features starring the big, red demon- turned- good-guy himself, "Sword of Storms" is a fun little diversion for fans of action and adventure, and for that kid inside all of us. Providing just enough chuckles and good-natured thrills to not only appeal to long time franchise fans, but also for newcomers alike, this is a very entertaining cartoon feature. Though it most certainly isn't without its own series of flaws and issues that holds it just a bit shy of being fantastic.
Featuring voice-over work by cast-members of the two big-screen Hellboy flicks and featuring producers Guillermo del Toro (director of the live-action movies) and Mike Mignola (original creator of the character), this is definitely a worthy way to expand the overall media franchise. Especially when combined with the talents of director Tad Stones (creator of "Darkwing Duck" and producer/director/storyboard artist on numerous other cartoon productions), who is a great fit for the material.
While investigating a new case with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is magically transported to a mystical kingdom populated with various monsters, creatures and forces straight out of Japanese folklore. While fellow agents Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) try to solve the mysteries at-hand, Hellboy must battle through this strange new world in order to get home and help his allies stop a much larger threat.
While it is decidedly far more friendly towards older children and young teens than the comics or big-screen adaptations ever were, it's still a fairly appealing movie and even as someone in his late 20's, I still eat it up whenever I pop in my copy. It may be a bit too intense for particularly younger kids (I wouldn't really recommend it or its follow-up to anyone under 8, personally), but it's still something that I think the whole family could get a kick out of.
The voice-over work is quite good and helps usher in audiences familiar with the live-action films, particularly Ron Perlman, who I'm convinced could play Hellboy in his sleep. (It's a role he was born to play, though he tragically has only had the chance to play him a handful of times between the films and animated features.) Blair and Jones are also a lot of fun.
Though don't be confused- this is definitely a new "continuity" and "canon" and isn't a direct follow-up to the movies. It exists in its own sort-of "parallel universe" despite the recurring cast- members. (As creator Mike Mignola has been pretty adamant that any adaptations across different media do their own thing and reinterpret his characters in new ways.)
The story is fun, many of the sequences are quirky and reminiscent of works like "Alice in Wonderland" or "Wizard of Oz", and it's very solidly directed. Also, the score by Christopher Drake is very nice and I really appreciated that he incorporated some of the themes composed by Marco Beltrami for the original live-action movie.
That being said, there are some flaws. A few of the supporting characters come across as, well... too cartoonish. Yes, that may sound paradoxical in a cartoon, but there's a few roles that just feel out of place and too needlessly light-hearted compared to the others. In addition, the film feels disjointed at times, with segments that are far too disconnected to really gel into the overall narrative. And I'd be lying if I said a few jokes and dialog exchanges didn't feel contrived and sloppy.
But overall, I can't complain too much. It rises above its flaws thanks to good humor, great action beats and the lovable cast.
I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Worth checking out for sure. As is its superior sequel "Blood & Iron."
Featuring voice-over work by cast-members of the two big-screen Hellboy flicks and featuring producers Guillermo del Toro (director of the live-action movies) and Mike Mignola (original creator of the character), this is definitely a worthy way to expand the overall media franchise. Especially when combined with the talents of director Tad Stones (creator of "Darkwing Duck" and producer/director/storyboard artist on numerous other cartoon productions), who is a great fit for the material.
While investigating a new case with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is magically transported to a mystical kingdom populated with various monsters, creatures and forces straight out of Japanese folklore. While fellow agents Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) try to solve the mysteries at-hand, Hellboy must battle through this strange new world in order to get home and help his allies stop a much larger threat.
While it is decidedly far more friendly towards older children and young teens than the comics or big-screen adaptations ever were, it's still a fairly appealing movie and even as someone in his late 20's, I still eat it up whenever I pop in my copy. It may be a bit too intense for particularly younger kids (I wouldn't really recommend it or its follow-up to anyone under 8, personally), but it's still something that I think the whole family could get a kick out of.
The voice-over work is quite good and helps usher in audiences familiar with the live-action films, particularly Ron Perlman, who I'm convinced could play Hellboy in his sleep. (It's a role he was born to play, though he tragically has only had the chance to play him a handful of times between the films and animated features.) Blair and Jones are also a lot of fun.
Though don't be confused- this is definitely a new "continuity" and "canon" and isn't a direct follow-up to the movies. It exists in its own sort-of "parallel universe" despite the recurring cast- members. (As creator Mike Mignola has been pretty adamant that any adaptations across different media do their own thing and reinterpret his characters in new ways.)
The story is fun, many of the sequences are quirky and reminiscent of works like "Alice in Wonderland" or "Wizard of Oz", and it's very solidly directed. Also, the score by Christopher Drake is very nice and I really appreciated that he incorporated some of the themes composed by Marco Beltrami for the original live-action movie.
That being said, there are some flaws. A few of the supporting characters come across as, well... too cartoonish. Yes, that may sound paradoxical in a cartoon, but there's a few roles that just feel out of place and too needlessly light-hearted compared to the others. In addition, the film feels disjointed at times, with segments that are far too disconnected to really gel into the overall narrative. And I'd be lying if I said a few jokes and dialog exchanges didn't feel contrived and sloppy.
But overall, I can't complain too much. It rises above its flaws thanks to good humor, great action beats and the lovable cast.
I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Worth checking out for sure. As is its superior sequel "Blood & Iron."