Comic flick one 'Hell' of a good time

Based on Mike Mignola's eponymous graphic novel, "Hellboy" centers around the conflicted life of a demon summoned to earth as a harbinger of Armageddon. Instead, he winds up being raised to be compassionate and help defend humanity from the demons and sorcerers bent on the corruption of our world.\nInterestingly, it's this struggle between nature and nurture that is really the heart of this action film. The film deals intelligently with the idea of predestination, individual choice and faith without being inelegant. From what I can gather, these are fundamental themes throughout the "Hellboy" comics themselves -- though this is merely hearsay on my part as I've never read them. \nDespite these underlying themes, the film is not overly cerebral as "Hellboy," much like director del Toro's earlier "Blade II," never drifts too far from its popcorn-action film roots. Honestly, though, the action scenes began to get repetitive by the end, likely due to the fact that the main opponents Hellboy faces are legions of identical hellhounds. A hideously disfigured, blade-wielding clockwork assassin, Kroenen, also makes some impressive appearances in the film, but I think he could've been used a little more than he was. Regardless, more variety in combat and opponents would have done much to liven up the middle of the film.\n"Hellboy" is a good film, but there's the sense that it had even more untapped potential. Indeed, the film leaves me hoping that a series is in the offing, as the serialized nature of Hellboy's adventures is much more suited to the small screen. With any luck, the success of this entertaining film will lead to us getting to see more of the hero in the future.