In this summer of comic book heroes coming to a theater near you to rescue you from heat, boredom or both, Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) muscles it’s way out front of a pretty competitive pack. The visual effects alone are worth your ticket price. From start to finish the solid cast of actors sells this fantasy and we are presented with something not often found in this genre; well fleshed out characters. Sure, there are plenty of things getting blown up, ripped apart and beaten up, just as one would expect from any self respecting action movie; but Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) delivers even more and like the title character, this movie has heart.

Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro, who’s film, Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) won three Oscars shows us his versatility as a writer/director. He’s no stranger to the action/super hero genre having directed Blade II (2002) and the first in this series, Hellboy (2004). Now with a few Oscars under his belt, he’s clearly able to command the resources that make this sequel a far superior film. del Toro began his movie career studying under special effects innovator, Dick Smith of The Exorcist (1973) fame; and he spent ten years as a makeup supervisor. It is then, no wonder that Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) has some of the most opulent imagery ever seen in an action movie.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) open by bringing us quickly up to speed who this Hellboy creature is. Young Hellboy is being cared for by the benevolent Professor Trevor ‘Broom’ Bruttenholm (played by John Hurt) who Hellboy affectionately calls father. He reads the young red beast a “fairytale” from a book that mysteriously is kept under lock and key. It is here that we are treated to an amazingly beautiful sequence, reminiscent of Czech animation genius, Jiri Trnka. It is a tale about ancient war between humans and elves. In the story the elf King Balor hire some trolls to create an indestructible Golden Army. This army proceeds to commit genocide and nearly wipes out the human race. King Balor feels deep remorse and makes a truce with the humans, breaking the magic crown which controls the army into three parts and putting the army to sleep.

Jump to the present and we find elf Prince Nuada, still rather angry at the human race and out for revenge. His singular mission is to rejoin the parts of the crown and activate the Golden Army so that the elves could rule the earth. Hellboy and crew are called to investigate the aftermath of Prince Nuada’s acquisition of the first piece. The rest of the movie unfolds along a fairly predictable storyline, but this is only to give room for the actors to flesh out their characters.

Ron Pearlman, as Hellboy, is backed up by his fishy friend, Abe Sapien (played by Doug Jones, who along with Pearlman is one of the best mask actors in Hollywood), his flaming hot (literally) girlfriend, Liz Sherman (played by Selma Blair) and a new member to their team, the mysteriously gaseous, Professor Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). This group amounts to no less than what the Fantastic Four (2005) should have been. (A trivia side note, Doug Jones played the Silver Surfer in 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) and is set to revive the character again in the upcoming Silver Surfer movie) Each actor successfully generates that suspension of disbelief an audience needs to empathize with the characters. They become real personalities with emotional range and a sense of humor that is neither forced or patronizing. Luke Goss (yes, that Luke Goss of 90′s “When Will I be Famous” pop group, Bros.) proves himself to be taken seriously as an actor as Prince Nuada and newcomer, Anna Walton, complements him perfectly as his twin sister, Pricess Nuala.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) shoots right to the top of my list of films so see this summer. There is something for everyone, action, adventure, fantasy, romance and brilliantly played comedy. Despite the predictability of the plot, the audience will continually be surprised by the visual imagery and balance of comedy and action. This is not one to wait for the DVD. The bigger the screen the better and go for a theater with a good sound system as well. Only in the darkness with surround sound can you completely enjoy this magical world of comic artist Mike Mignola, successfully brought to life by director, Guillermo del Toro.