Hellboy II: The Golden Army Blu-ray Disc Review

Buy This Blu-ray Disc Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!

Title: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Media: Blu-ray Disc

Region: A

Genre: Dark Fantasy Action Comic Book Adventure

Stars: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Seth McFarlane, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, and John Hurt

Writers: Guillermo Del Toro

Story By Guillermo Del Toro and Mike Mignola

Based Upon The Dark Horse Comic Book Created By: Mike Mignola

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Feature length: 120 minutes

Extras: Blu-ray Exclusive U-Control Concept Art Gallery, Director’s Notebook, and Set Visits, BD Live Comic Book Builder, Scene Explorer: Schufften Goggle View, Hellboy II: In Service Of The Demon, Production Workshop Puppet Theatre, Image Galleries, Deleted Scenes With Optional Director’s Commentary, Troll Market Tour With Director Guillermo Del Toro, Feature Length Audio Commentary With Guillermo Del Toro, Feature Commentary With Cast Members Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair and Luke Goss, Digital Copy

Languages: English DTS Digital 7.1 High Definition Master Audio Theatrical Surround Sound and French and Spanish Language DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf and Hearing Impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Elite Blue BD Case

Sound: DTS Digital 7.1 High Definition Master Audio Theatrical Surround Sound and DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2008/Blu-ray Disc Release: 2008

Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army is visual delight for the eyes with layers upon layers of detail that make this recent Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray Disc release, an absolute must own in one’s high definition movie collection. Presented in a widescreen (1.85:1) high definition 1080p resolution, the colors just seem to pop whether it is the fantastic realm of the Troll Market sequence or the subdued colors of the human world, which actually tend to be evening scenes, suggesting perhaps that the magical realm is more honest for what it is in it’s very nature than the world of humans that needs and uses Hellboy, but will never accept him as one of their own. This is one of the questions Hellboy II: The Golden Army raises and while there certainly are lots of fantastic characters, creatures and locations in the film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army does it’s best to broaden the relationships between it’s characters and offers intriguing possibilities for a third film to complete a trilogy should it come to fruition.

The English DTS Digital 7.1 High Definition Master Audio Theatrical Surround Soundtrack is impressive with a full three dimensional sound field that is free from distortion. French and Spanish Language DTS Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks are also provided along with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded onto the BD-50 as options. Guillermo Del Toro provides an insightful screen specific audio commentary complete with a short video introduction. Actors Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair and Luke Goss participate in a second commentary track included on the disc as a listening option. Add to that Blu-ray Disc exclusive features that include a scene explorer that allows one to view storyboards, concept art and early visual effects and compare them to the completed sequences in the film. Another U-Control Blu-ray Exclusive is an interactive examination of Guillermo Del Toro’s personal journal as well as set visit vignettes and clickable motion pages that provide background information on the film’s characters. The Blu-ray Disc also is BD Live enabled so that users with either a Sony PlayStation 3 or a player that is BD-Live 2.0 compliant can share favorite scenes, download and bonus content directly onto the player and participate in events such as a live chat with Director Guillermo Del Toro on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 6pm PST. Go to http://www.universalhidef.com for additional information.

Further extra value materials found on the Blu-ray Disc include a feature length making of documentary, a guided tour of the extensive Troll Market set with Guillermo Del Toro, an examination of the opening puppet animation sequence, deleted scenes with optional Director’s commentary, a gallery of poster examinations and stills detailing the marketing campaign for the film, and an onscreen limited animated comic too. There is also a bonus disc containing a digital copy of the film for iPod and Windows PC users and the packaging comes within a cardboard slip featuring holographic image of Hellboy that shifts from the film image to his comic book inspired roots.

A fantastic fantasy film and a fantastic Blu-ray Disc that breaks new ground in interactivity and truly taps into the possibilities the format holds, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is available on Blu-ray Disc now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Return To The Previous Page

Buy This Blu-ray Disc Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!