Born in 1944 on an island off the coast of Scotland, Hellboy is the red-skinned offspring of a paranormal male Nazi and a supernatural entity of unspecified gender. His birth occurred in the opening scene of writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 adaptation of Mike Mignola’s 1994 Dark House Comic. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is a medley of tough lug types from pulp Americana. This cranky, hunky fixer is property of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, an agency based in Trenton, New Jersey that recalls similar operations in “Men in Black” and “X-Men.” Del Toro (“Cronos,” “Mimic,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”) is manic at over-populating his mise-en-scene with supernatural critters and specters. The seven Gods of Chaos in the first film are metastasized to “seventy times seventy” combat robots. This sequel looks cheaper, plays louder and often numbs with its monotone CGI set pieces. An ancient treaty between humans and a confederation of other-things and nether-folks is broken by humanity despoiling the planet due to “infinite greed,” so all hell breaks loose. One trace of our eco-incorrectness: Hellboy’s psycho-firestarter g.f. Liz (Selma Blair), who used to burn with an efficient blue flame, now ignites in fiery red flames. It’s a carbon credit thing. With Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt, Doug Jones, Luke Goss and Anna Walton. 110m. Anamorphic 2.40 widescreen. (Bill Stamets)
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