Given these poor reviews, we can understand why Hellboy is lighting up first. Image source: Ketchup Entertainment
Film fans among you know: The tomato in our teaser image is the logo of the rating platform Rotten Tomatoes. In the case of Hellboy: The Crooked Man, it could also be seen as a symbol that some critics want to throw rotten vegetables at the film (ironically, the production company behind the film is also called Ketchup Entertainment…)
Because the new Hellboy often doesn’t come off well at all. However, there are also positive opinions that treat the anti-hero more mercifully. As usual, our rating mirror will help you understand what the film does well or not so well in detail.
Oh, and kudos to our editorial Hellboy Vali, who, despite all the prophecies of doom, is looking forward to this film:
This is what the critics say about Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Let’s keep it short: On IMDB-Score of 4.7/10 as well as a Tomatometer 39 percent are certainly not numbers that you would like to write on your CV. Hellboy: The Crooked Man apparently has no other choice.
Anyway: Viewers are much more positive, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 59 percent. Above all, the atmosphere is praised, but the cheap-looking CGI is mostly criticized – which is not surprising given a budget of only 20 million US dollars.
The press reviews at a glance
The Guardian (Rating: 2/5 points)
No amount of budget could manage the confusing mess of the script or the I-am-dead-inside
-The facial expressions of the actors make up for it – apart from Adeline Rudolph, who is worth seeing throughout.
Empire Magazine (2/5 points)
As bold as this low-budget attempt to revitalize Hellboy may be, it unfortunately lacks the narrative and stylistic skill to transcend its all-too-obvious budget limitations.
IGN (Rating: 6/10 points)
Despite its ultra-low budget nature, Hellboy: The Crooked Man is an entertaining, competent adaptation that offers a healthy dose of Evil Dead-style supernatural action.
Film Feeder (Rating: 1/5 points)
This soulless and often incomprehensible adaptation, made just so Millennium could hang on to the rights, makes the 2019 film look much more noble and ambitious in comparison.
Blu-ray.com (Rating: 4-)
Little tension and a boring story that makes the 90 minute running time difficult to bear, with Mike Mignola himself unable to breathe life into his own creation.
Joblo (rating: 7/10 points)
Despite the simple story, I really enjoyed my time with this film. I think you have to approach the film with the right mindset because it’s more of an indie horror film than an action blockbuster. When I saw the film, I felt the same sense of dread that I had when reading the graphic novels. I really appreciate the low budget approach and think that [die Macher] used the money well. While I doubt we’ll see more of this, I’m grateful we finally got this version of the character.
GamesRadar (Rating: 3/5 points)
Hellboy: The Crooked Man taps into the folk horror vibe of the comics, but the balance between atmosphere and ass-kicking is a bit off.
Collider (Rating: 6/10 points)
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is unfortunately a mixed bag. For every promising pro there’s also a debatable con, and some promising ideas are executed well, while some less brilliant concepts creep in too.
Still better than that weird clown
So you see: Hellboy even convinced some critics. Interesting fun fact on the side: The highly rated Joker 2: Folie á Deux is available aggregated ratings even worse!
If you read the above reviews in detail, you will also notice: Despite the mostly bad reviews, Hellboy: The Crooked Man could definitely one for fans of the rough-and-tumble anti-hero guilty pleasure
especially at home on the comfortable couch.
Of course, it remains to be seen how the audience score will develop in the coming weeks. But it’s quite possible that The Crooked Man will soon be considered a viewer favorite and insider tip.
Wait, did you just write Couch?
Yes, we have, for good reason: The Crooked Man will not have a theatrical release in the USA for its release on October 8, 2024 and it should also be the same in Europey.
At the moment, no film distributor has officially snapped up the film. It is very likely that the latest Hellboy will also be released directly as video-on-demand in this country. At the time of this article, however, your only option is to buy the English-language version if you can’t wait any longer.
