Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Director Guillermo del Toro followed up his Oscar-winning historical-fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth with a movie that it’s safe to assume most members of the academy never even bothered to watch: The second installment in his Hellboy franchise, Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Critics normally dismiss these kind of comic-book adaptations, but del Toro’s film nonetheless earned high marks for its imaginative visuals, which are every bit as fantastic as those in Pan’s Labyrinth. Ron Perlman returns as the beastly title character, a bright-red demon who works for a government agency dedicated to the paranormal. The film screens for free tonight.