Parents' Guide to

Hellboy

Movie R 2019 120 minutes
Hellboy Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Extreme gore, language in comic book movie reboot.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

  • 1:06
  • Hellboy (2019) Movie: Hellboy runs through a dark hallway
  • Hellboy (2019) Movie: Alice, Hellboy, and Ben get down to business
  • Hellboy (2019) Movie: The Blood Queen prepares to destroy the world

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 23 parent reviews

triple h
triple h Adult
June 26, 2021
age 12+

Tyler D.
Tyler D. Adult
March 11, 2021
age 15+

Frequently Gory, Frequently boring

Hellboy is a film about a half demon who hunts down monsters for the BPRD and a resurrected witch who wishes to wipe humanity off of the earth. The tone is similar to other comic book movies albeit with a more horrific pulpish edge. The filmmakers make full use of the R rating as the film is filled from start to finish with extreme bloody violence and gory images. The films content and plot are very unrealistic and fast paced so this reduces the overall impact of this content but the imagery is still graphic and could disturb or gross out audiences. The film also contains a fair amount of F words and other profanity. Overall I feel that the frequent over the top brutality makes the film unsuitable for younger teenagers but people aged over 15 can handle the films violence as although visceral it is highly unrealistic and fantastical. That is if they want to subject themselves to an unoriginal and bland comic book film.
See all 23 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In HELLBOY, a flashback explains how King Arthur defeated the evil Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich) and scattered her body parts to keep her from re-forming. In the present, Hellboy (David Harbour) goes to Mexico to find a missing colleague, only to discover that he's turned into a vampire. Back at Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) headquarters, Hellboy learns that a monster called Gruagach (Stephen Graham) has been stealing the queen's body parts so that he can re-assemble her, which will bring about the end of human life. At the same time, premonitions say that Hellboy himself will somehow contribute to this, which causes several of his would-be colleagues -- including a secret organization that holds one of the queen's limbs -- to try to kill him. When the queen becomes whole, Hellboy teams with Alice (Sasha Lane) and the B.P.R.D.'s Major Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim) for a final showdown ... with the world itself at stake.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (23 ):
Kids say (23 ):

This reboot, the third film based on Mike Mignola's terrific comics, is missing the magic of the first two; it's also extremely gory, but it has enough style and personality to make it worth a look. Directed by Neil Marshall, who made the excellent horror movie The Descent, this take on Hellboy feels a lot like a horror movie, too, with extremely liberal gore (most of it clearly computer-generated), several terrifying monsters, and plenty of senseless death. Of course, the original comics are also horror-based, but while their tone is somewhat wry and deadpan, Marshall's movie feels a little too busy.

Likewise, star Harbour (Stranger Things) has some big shoes to fill -- taking over from Ron Perlman, who played the big red demon in Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army -- and he doesn't quite make it. His performance is a bit too big, with lots of anguish and shock; the beloved character is usually portrayed, to wonderful deadpan comic effect, as mostly perturbed and grumpy. And while Jovovich makes a great Blood Queen, the character doesn't have much to do other than make threatening speeches. But McShane and Lane work well, and the characters themselves are already pretty likable. And Marshall manages a few fight scenes that are beautifully choreographed and thrilling. All in all, it's nice to have Hellboy back, even with diminished returns.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Hellboy's extreme violence. Was it shocking or exciting? How does the movie's humor affect or mitigate the violence? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Is the movie scary? What makes it feel sometimes like a horror movie?

  • How does the movie compare to the other two Hellboy movies? To the comic books or animated cartoons?

  • Hellboy realizes that he can choose his own fate, rather than letting a prophecy tell him what to do. How can that lesson apply to real life?

  • How is Hellboy's drinking depicted? Does he make it look cool? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?

Movie Details

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