MaximumMadness The first of two animated features starring the big, red demon- turned- good-guy himself, "Sword of Storms" is a fun little diversion for fans of action and adventure, and for that kid inside all of us. Providing just enough chuckles and good-natured thrills to not only appeal to long time franchise fans, but also for newcomers alike, this is a very entertaining cartoon feature. Though it most certainly isn't without its own series of flaws and issues that holds it just a bit shy of being fantastic.Featuring voice-over work by cast-members of the two big-screen Hellboy flicks and featuring producers Guillermo del Toro (director of the live-action movies) and Mike Mignola (original creator of the character), this is definitely a worthy way to expand the overall media franchise. Especially when combined with the talents of director Tad Stones (creator of "Darkwing Duck" and producer/director/storyboard artist on numerous other cartoon productions), who is a great fit for the material.While investigating a new case with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is magically transported to a mystical kingdom populated with various monsters, creatures and forces straight out of Japanese folklore. While fellow agents Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) try to solve the mysteries at-hand, Hellboy must battle through this strange new world in order to get home and help his allies stop a much larger threat.While it is decidedly far more friendly towards older children and young teens than the comics or big-screen adaptations ever were, it's still a fairly appealing movie and even as someone in his late 20's, I still eat it up whenever I pop in my copy. It may be a bit too intense for particularly younger kids (I wouldn't really recommend it or its follow-up to anyone under 8, personally), but it's still something that I think the whole family could get a kick out of.The voice-over work is quite good and helps usher in audiences familiar with the live-action films, particularly Ron Perlman, who I'm convinced could play Hellboy in his sleep. (It's a role he was born to play, though he tragically has only had the chance to play him a handful of times between the films and animated features.) Blair and Jones are also a lot of fun.Though don't be confused- this is definitely a new "continuity" and "canon" and isn't a direct follow-up to the movies. It exists in its own sort-of "parallel universe" despite the recurring cast- members. (As creator Mike Mignola has been pretty adamant that any adaptations across different media do their own thing and reinterpret his characters in new ways.)The story is fun, many of the sequences are quirky and reminiscent of works like "Alice in Wonderland" or "Wizard of Oz", and it's very solidly directed. Also, the score by Christopher Drake is very nice and I really appreciated that he incorporated some of the themes composed by Marco Beltrami for the original live-action movie.That being said, there are some flaws. A few of the supporting characters come across as, well... too cartoonish. Yes, that may sound paradoxical in a cartoon, but there's a few roles that just feel out of place and too needlessly light-hearted compared to the others. In addition, the film feels disjointed at times, with segments that are far too disconnected to really gel into the overall narrative. And I'd be lying if I said a few jokes and dialog exchanges didn't feel contrived and sloppy. But overall, I can't complain too much. It rises above its flaws thanks to good humor, great action beats and the lovable cast.I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Worth checking out for sure. As is its superior sequel "Blood & Iron."

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews After a professor opens an enchanted scroll, the BPRD have to face the threat of two gods(Storm and Lightning) returning, and awakening their brothers, the dragons, and ending the reign of man on Earth. Hellboy himself(who spends almost all of this isolated from the others, on a sort of spirit quest, defeating a handful of fairly distinguished mythical creatures from Asian folklore - spiders, cannibalism, those kinds of things... admittedly, that does lead to this having a video-game structure, with just one fight sequence after another, and there is only minimal connection between them; they just wanted a lot of these beings in the same production) has to protect the titular sword, which holds the power to release the duo. Abe and Liz are together on a mission, supporting each other and developing their relationship, with her having to deal with her powers(in that they are extremely useful, yet they make her feel like, as she puts it, "a freak") and him going far to help keep her safe. This is roughly 78 minutes, including the short end credits. Having not read the comics, I can't say if this lives up to the source material. The style appears to be pretty similar, and certainly quite non-threatening. Animation is nice, with some visual ingenuity and use of colors to set tone(this is effective at being creepy, at establishing mood and at very sharp turns in our perception of something as a positive or negative presence) if nothing terribly creative about the camera-work and editing(considering the possibilities, when one doesn't have the laws of physics that constrict live features). The voice acting is well-done. This gets some extra appeal to those of us who only know these great characters from the movies by it being the same trio, and they make the transition well(Perlman is just as enjoyable here as in the flicks, and steals the show here, as well). I suppose you could argue that Blair sounds slightly off, and slightly overdoing it here and there. The plot is sufficiently engaging and there is a fair balance between eerie, mysterious beings and the like and explanation so you aren't completely weirded out. This is well-paced, you're not bored and there's a solid amount of action, as well as catching up on what's going on, with consistently rising stakes throughout. The humor comes very naturally to it and is genuinely funny. Dialog is very well-written. We change locations numerous times, and you don't get bored with the setting. And yes, Red does get to swing that blade a bit. One could probably follow this reasonably going into it blind, not knowing who these people are, etc. The DVD comes with slightly longer extras put together than the picture itself: An informational commentary track by Mike Mignola, Tad Stones, Phil Weinstein, and interesting featurettes: 42 and a half minute Keepers of Hellboy(the first scene of the film, then a panel of the creators of this at a con), To Hell & Back(10 minutes), Conquering Hellboy: The Actor's Role(6 and a half minutes), View From The Top(5 and a half minutes), A New Breed(5 minutes), Hellboy Goes East: Tail Spin(3 minutes), Hellboy Goes East: Samurai Songs(3 minutes), Hellboy Goes East: Prop Prefecture(2 and a half minutes) and Hellboy Goes East: Origins(2 and a half minutes). There is violent and disturbing content in this. I recommend this to fans of the franchise. 7/10

vukodlak The latest incarnation of the Mike Mignola's once underground, now seemingly omnipresent and unstoppable, comic book masterpiece, 'Hellboy', now comes into the world of animation. The first of the several planned animated films, 'The Sword of Storms' takes Hellboy and drops him in a fantasy world of Japanese folklore. The voice acting is excellent. Ron Perlman has now become the de facto voice of Hellboy, and if this ever becomes an animated series, his presence will be crucial for its success. More surprisingly, considering her usually rather flat and whiny voice, Selma Blair delivers a finely nuanced performance. The best of all however, is Doug Jones. Seemingly perennially cursed by his background as a mime, the man has been seen in several great films in recent years but never heard. He has a pleasant, deep-ish voice, which entirely suits Abe Sapien. David Hyde Pierce acquitted himself well in Hellboy but will not be missed in the sequel. Hopefully Mr Jones' fine performance here will encourage studio execs to leave him be as the voice of the Silver Surfer. The character designs are deliberately different from Mignola's and in my opinion, that is a smart decision. Hellboy himself remains relatively faithful to the original concept, but shown in a more stylised form, reminiscent of Bruce Timm's drawings. For the most part, this works, apart from an occasional slip where Hellboy's face takes on an exaggerated facial expression, lapsing into caricature. Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman and a few of the supporting characters are more radically redesigned and remind of the current pseudo-manga style of 'The Batman' or 'Jackie Chan Adventures'. Personally, I am not a great fan of this particular approach, but I acknowledge it is popular and in context, effective. Mike Mignola's original drawing style is not completely ignored and is most clearly evoked in the design of Hellboy's various skeletal and monstrous opponents. There are also some attempts to emulate the comic's use of shadows (most notably in the "Heads" sequence). There are however, some problems. The animation itself is very hit and miss, and apart from the already mentioned weird facial expressions, there are occasional strange and unnatural movements from the characters. Some scenes feature noticeably poorer animation quality than the overall film. They appear jerky and cheap and look as though they were completed in a rush. The plot itself is not overly engaging. Although a story about cursed ancient lovers shows promise, it is severely underdeveloped, in favour of some nonsense about Thunder Gods and Dragons. The majority of the actual film shows Hellboy wandering around Wonderland (or something), fighting assorted monsters. Some of these action sequences are great fun but it all gets repetitive so that the overall effect is episodic and only occasionally compelling (I'm going to mention "Heads" again here – that segment is excellent). The other half of the film deals with Abe and Liz, but they are not given much to do, and their action sequences are nowhere near as interesting as Hellboy's. There is some attempt to deal with Liz's distrust of her powers but it largely falls flat, especially compared to the comics and film. However, the fact that there is some characterisation at all, as well as the presence of some rather mature themes and some unflinching violence mark this as more than just a kids-only film. Hopefully, the creators are just hitting their stride, and some of the wrinkles will be ironed out by the next instalment.

Shawn Watson Live action translates perfectly into animation in this feature-length Hellboy adventure. What makes it even better is that the main cast return to do the voices and Marco Beltrami's main theme is used. A lot of animated spin-offs in the past have proved to be just as good when taken seriously by the makers (Animatrix, Spider-Man) but, in my opinion, Hellboy: Sword of Storms was good enough for a theatrical release. A small one, like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.The story has HB, Liz and Abe go to Japan where a local historian has gone missing and a priceless exhibit damaged. While at the scene, HB wanders off, following a strange Fox and ends up trapped somewhere in time. Liz and Abe have no idea where he is but have their own problems to deal with as the weather takes a turn for the worse.Stuck in ancient Japan, HB must deal with a bunch of vampires, demons and monsters in an effort to get home. Easier said than done.I liked the movie, but felt it lacked something. Still, it made me interested in the character, even though I have yet to buy a single Hellboy comic book. After watching this however, I can't wait to get some more of HB. The animation style follows that of the comic pretty closely and the color pallet ranges from very bright and very colorful to moody and atmospheric. It's very impressive and highly detailed. Don't expect 'saturday morning' style animation here.If you are seriously into Hellboy or even if you are just a casual fan of the movie then you totally have to get this. I eagerly await Hellboy: Blood and Iron, due out this summer. In the meantime, I reckon I ought to get me some Hellboy comic-books.