Film Preview: Hellboy (2019)

Page Revisions:

(March 10, 2019) Original
(April 7, 2019) New Posters (#8-#18)

Release Date:

April 12, 2019

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.”

Poster Rating: C / C / C / C / C / C / C+ / C- / C+ / C- / C+ / C+ / C+ / C+ / C+ / C (3)

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Review: (#1-#6) Awash in red is the theme for all of these posters. There is very little that differentiates one from the other, some use a lot of fiery colors with a black background, others just bombard the senses with those same flaming choices. Picking one of them to be better than another would be challenging for the general lack of distinctiveness they have. (#7) Ripped apart by women’s hands and demons, this poster is filled with character and plot symbolism, but feels generally uninteresting.

(#8) It’s the same image of Hellboy with his fiery crown poorly drawn this time. (#9) Aspects of this image are compelling, but there’s not enough content here to be that interesting. (#10) More of the same and I don’t think anyone will care. (#11) A design that finally has some detail to look at. The hellscape element may fit the film, but the coloring is overdone. (#12) Red, yellow, and purple are an unusual combination and while it surprisingly works, the structure feels a bit formulaic. (#13) Reds, yellows, and oranges combine to form something bright, but ineffective. (#14) A little lighter on the purple aspect of design #12, there’s nothing new here and the coloring doesn’t make it better. (#15) The colors go together well, but don’t work together well. It’s distracting and overbearing. (#16-#18) This trio of character posters are fiery, but dull at the same time.

Trailer Rating: B- / B-

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Review: (#1 & #2) This pair of trailers is largely identical. The second is the red band trailer, which adds some more blood and some foul language, but doesn’t do anything measurably different. Overall, the trailer has some interesting qualities, but doesn’t have a lot that makes it must-see.