'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' Review: Jack Kesy is no Ron Perlman in B-grade horror
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 2000s marked the golden era for the 'Hellboy' franchise with Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of the Dark Horse Comics. Despite the success of his 2004 and 2008 releases, the franchise has failed to recreate the magic in subsequent films. If you were disappointed with the 2019 reboot ' Hellboy', wait till you watch Brian Taylor's 'The Crooked Man'.
Starring Jack Kesy, Martin Bassindale, Jefferson White, and Adeline Rudolph, the movie is based on ‘The Crooked Man' limited series written by Mike Mignola. We had high hopes for the movie since the creator of the comic himself joined Taylor in the writing of the script.
'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' lacks the magic of its predecessors
For those who have read the 'Hellboy' comics might appreciate the film's faithfulness to Mignola’s style. The script sticks to the source without making any notable changes. Set in 1959 in rural Appalachia, centered around Hellboy's investigation into a witchy mystery. The synopsis looks promising, even for those unfamiliar with the comics, but unfortunately, the movie ultimately disappoints.
The story doesn't allow its protagonist to make an impression. Instead of battling world-ending villains, Hellboy is tangled up in a supernatural issue, solving the mystery of witches. It sometimes feel like Hellboy is the side character in his own movie. The stakes are bit too-low and feels a major step-down from Guillermo del Toro's movies. The film attempts to be indie gothic horror, but totally misses the mark.
'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' is a gritty misfire
One of the film's biggest problems is its budget—or lack thereof—which is evident in the subpar CGI throughout the film. The extremely dark color grading and the overdone sound effects don't add to the horror too. Instead, it turns out to be a loud, gloomy affair which makes it a daunting task for us to sit through the entire 99 minutes.
'The Crooked Man' also heavily relies on horror movie clichés, which again disappoints fans who might have otherwise expected some intense battles and dark fantasy chills that we are used to seeing in previous 'Hellboy' movies.
The acting of cast members is totally forgettable and the climax doesn't thrill you as well. For those who are die-hard fans of 'Hellboy' comics may give this film a try but for people looking for good horror movie, this isn't the one.
'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' arrives in cinemas in the United States on October 7