EC’s review published on Letterboxd:
Despite barely remembering a thing about Hellboy II: The Golden Army before rewatching it, I personally find it to be a a much more enjoyable film than Hellboy.
Guillermo del Toro expertly blends his typical gothic charm with an additional element of fantasy in The Golden Army, introducing more interesting characters while refining familiar ones. The Golden Army wisely jettisons the lukewarm Rupert Evans and adds Anna Walton and Luke Goss, both of whom add plenty to the film, while Selma Blair is also much more enjoyable this time too.
The Golden Army has plenty of sharp effects, stunning imagery and wonderfully grotesque creature designs, while Danny Elfman's score is an improvement on Marco Beltrami's from Hellboy. Action sequences are more entertaining this time, especially as they often carry real stakes, while Del Toro also manages to find the right balance between darkness and levity.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army has an interesting and complex mythos, a compelling villain and likeable characters. In almost every way it proves to be a better made film and a more entertaining movie than Hellboy, and I had a lot of fun revisiting it.