Second trip to Hell proves more successful

Words don't do justice in attempting to describe the wondrous array of misfits and monsters Guillermo del Toro has concocted in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Truly, his is a world you have to experience for yourself to appreciate it fully.

In following up the original Hellboy from 2004 and his Academy Award-winning 2006 masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth, the director has outdone himself in both absurd humour and wild imagination. At times, there's almost too much to take in all at once – everything from hulking trolls with thick tusks to tiny tooth fairies that feast on human bones.

The visuals are the star, of course. But the sequel, which del Toro scripted from a story he co-wrote with Hellboy comic book creator Mike Mignola, wouldn't be fun without Ron Perlman returning as its wisecracking, kitten-nuzzling hero.

Not only does Perlman completely get del Toro's twisted sense of humour, he thrives on it. As the film's title character – who grows from boy-devil to man-devil to noir-style crime fighter – Perlman shows not just perfect comic timing but also an ability to laugh at himself.

This time, Hellboy and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense must stop Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) from awakening a dormant army of indestructible golden soldiers. Seems all the underground creatures and the humans forged a pact long ago to keep the peace and keep the Golden Army from causing death and destruction. Nuada has grown tired of that and takes action – even though his twin sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) begs him to stop.

For Hellboy, though, the potential obliteration of all humankind is just one more hassle. He'd rather hang out and enjoy his cigars. Having said that, he's not exactly shy, and revels in the attention his misadventures draw from the New York tabloids.

Doug Jones returns as Abe, the turquoise-tinted fish-man with keen intuition and a taste for Vivaldi; he's also got the script's best lines.

Jeffrey Tambor again plays the jittery bureaucrat who runs the operation – a rare, quasi-villainous role for the comedian. And, of course, Selma Blair is back as Liz, Hellboy's (literally) fiery girlfriend. She's all business when it comes to fighting bad guys.

But she also brings out the sensitive side in the man she affectionately calls Red.

The battle between Hellboy and Nuada drags about two-thirds into the film, when the crew of do-gooders head to Ireland, where the Golden Army is stored.

Their journey does provoke a clever Wizard of Oz reference, though. But the best pop-culture moment comes courtesy of Barry Manilow, because in del Toro's beautifully bizarro universe, there's even a place for 1970s schmaltz.

The numbers

$85m: The total production budget for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, as reported on boxofficemojo.com

$74.6m: The box-office collections for the film in the United States, since its July 11 release, as reported by boxofficemojo.com

$99m: The global box-office collections for the film, as reported by boxofficemojo.com