Hellboy MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -2

Hellboy is an action adventure, with good special effects, based on Mike Mignolas Dark Horse Comics series. As the Nazis in 1944 attempt to harness black magic to aid their dying cause, an experiment goes wrong leaving open a door to the underworld that allows creatures to pass through. A young demon, nicknamed Hellboy (Ron Perlman), is captured and raised by Professor Broom (John Hurt) of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Hellboy is a strange-looking, cigar-smoking creature with red skin, a tail and horns, which he keeps breaking off so he will look more human. He becomes an agent for good and is used to fight the evils precipitated by the wizard who aims to reclaim him. Hellboy receives aid from Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) who has powers over fire she also happens to be the object of Hellboys affections and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), a mysterious amphibian that has psychic powers.

While this is a good-versus-evil story, the problem is that evil elements, such as psychic powers, are portrayed as useful tools for the good side. The notion of a demon from Hell being transformed into a force for good is also contradictory to scripture. Fighting, violence and gore abounds in this Guillermo del Toro directed movie as do frightening images of demonlike creatures attacking humans and a deformed manlike creature impaled on stakes. The movie blurs the line between humans and nonhumans by presenting the distinction as the choices he makes. But the Bible is clear: Jesus died on the cross for the redemption of man alone, confirming the great difference of humanity from animals, angels and demons. Due to violence, disturbing images, bad language and the occultic theme, Preview considers this film unacceptable.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: Revolution and Columbia