The previous Hellboy was an oddball mix of smart-arse wit, Harryhausen-style creatures and Lovecraft-esque horror sensibilities. Artist/writer Mike Mignola's devil-with-a-heart-of-gold character is not a comic property that screams to the mainstream sensibilities of cash aroused studio execs, but Guillermo Del Toro makes it work. This second stab at "Big Red" sees the Mexican wunderkind flexing a little more of his monster muscle, with the same creative crew in front of and behind the camera.

As the film begins, we find the titular son of Satan (Ron Perlman) still working for the Bureau Of Paranormal Research And Defence, residing in a bunker with highly flammable girlfriend, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), and hot on the trail of Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), ruler of the mythical realm, who has declared war on all humanity. Aided by psychic man-fish Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and "ectoplasmic entity" Johann Krauss (voiced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane), the crew attempts to stop an onslaught of nasties from destroying the planet, fighting to save all humanity despite feeling excluded from it.

Del Toro's eye for fantasy design and action is on par with Peter Jackson's, so it's fitting then that the two should pair on the upcoming Hobbit films. Here, Del Toro is in his geek-boy element; he's satisfying his blockbuster sensibilities and giving birth to every creature design concept that he's ever stored away in the dark recesses of his brain. At times the creaky dialogue can be cliched, but it can't change the fact that Hellboy II is a hoot, aided considerably by star Ron Perlman's wisecracks and laconic surliness, and Del Toro's imaginative storytelling and intricate Faberge-egg visuals.