Sunday, July 13, 2008

Amy Reads the Week (of July 13, 2008)

Or watches the week, Gentle Reader, as Mr. Reads and I went to see Hellboy II yesterday. While I enjoyed the first half immensely, I felt the second half lacked something. Perhaps a stronger brushstroke from Mr. Mignola, perhaps? Too much Mr. Del Toro, I believe. But it was pretty. Oh yes, it was Very Very Pretty.

Posting will be sporadic for the next three weeks, Friends, as my summer II teaching takes priority. But I will Read the Week with you when I can!

2 comments:

The Scale said...

While I did enjoy the movie, I was a little disappointed that the "villain's" point of view wasn't explored with more depth. They tried, but I don't think they were that successful. Here we had a villain who did what he did out of pain, desperation, pride, and love... but a great deal of these emotions were buried by love stories and super-heroics. (Not that I didn't enjoy those parts. I'm just a little disappointed that the part I found the most interesting was the part that was the least fleshed out.) In other words, I wasn't feeling the tragedy. Everything else was great.

Amy Reads said...

Hi Scale,
While I did enjoy the movie, I was a little disappointed that the "villain's" point of view wasn't explored with more depth. They tried, but I don't think they were that successful. Here we had a villain who did what he did out of pain, desperation, pride, and love... but a great deal of these emotions were buried by love stories and super-heroics. (Not that I didn't enjoy those parts. I'm just a little disappointed that the part I found the most interesting was the part that was the least fleshed out.)

I agree that the villain was more tragic and sympathetic than, say, the Nazis from the first movie and that his story and the story of his people, played up in the trailers, was rather backstoried, when it all came down to it.

In other words, I wasn't feeling the tragedy. Everything else was great.

I particularly am not crazy about the Hellboy/Liz love story. I prefer the comics/animated movies' Abe/Liz sparking.
Ciao,
Amy