Artist Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Directing a sequel to a modestly successful comic-book adaptation might seem like a perverse choice to follow up an Oscar-winning international triumph like Pan's Labyrinth. But for Guillermo del Toro, directing the Hellboy movies is the opposite of slumming: His affection for the comic's motley gang of misfits is palpable in every scene. Del Toro makes movies fanboys love in part because he's such a fanboy himself. With Hellboy II: The Golden Army, del Toro proves his geek credentials once again by collaborating with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola on the story, hiring Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to voice a fantastical creature that looks like Robby The Robot's off-brand cousin and talks like Colonel Klink, and including a conspicuous homage to John Landis.

Updated 08/17/2010