Though he may be something of a cult legend, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy character has been the focus of more movies than even some of the biggest comic book characters. Beginning with Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman’s live-action films, the two animated spin-offs with Perlman as the тιтular hero’s voice, and David Harbour’s 2019 reboot took different approaches to the material and were met with different reactions. One thing that could be said for them all was having a generally structured story, which cannot be said about Hellboy: The Crooked Man.

Based on Mignola’s limited comic book series of the same name, Hellboy: The Crooked Man takes the franchise back to the 50s and partners the тιтular hero with fresh BPRD agent, Bobbie Jo Song, to bring back a demonically possessed spider to headquarters. When an accident derails their train and leaves them stranded in the Appalachian Mountains, they learn from the locals of a series of sinister events seemingly connected to the legend of The Crooked Man, putting Hellboy and Song on his path, along with Army vet Tom Ferrell, whose past experience proves helpful.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man Lacks Any Rhythm To Its Story

The Structure Is In Place, But Made With Shaky Materials

With the movie taking a more direct approach to adapting its source material, one would think there’d be a smooth translation from comic to screen, particularly since Mignola is also onboard as a co-writer. Unfortunately, his prior comments about leaving the creative nature of the films in other hands due to not being a filmmaker feel all too prevalent in Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s story, as it feels incredibly disjointed in the first half of the film.

The decision to move away from the previously explored origin story of the тιтular character — one they sadly later reverse — is a smart one, as we feel just as disoriented as the characters when we’re dropped in just moments before the train derailment. Even the shift to a smaller threat compared to the world-threatening ones seen in every prior movie also makes it feel very different from previous adaptations, opening the door for more character and horror-tinged moments.

However, where the door was open for this, it feels like the film instead tried to jump through the window next to it, which leads to the movie being a mess. The rest of the cast of characters largely outshine Hellboy himself, but the biggest sin is that every story moment feels like it only exists to progress the plot rather than organically play events out. I was so often left wondering why we were suddenly jumping to a new scene, or why characters were dropping exposition when they seemingly should have had none of the expertise required for these plot dumps.

The other major sin is that The Crooked Man’s story can’t decide how much it wants to focus on Hellboy. When he does get scenes, particularly as the movie gradually moves to explore his origin story, I didn’t really feel any kind of emotional connection to him. The few big beats are comprised of him attempting to wax poetic about the supernatural dangers of the Appalachians, or cracking jokes about things they see, which doesn’t make him nearly as engaging as Perlman or Harbour.

The Movie’s Budget Is Consistently Felt

Taylor’s Ambition Can’t Overcome Some Very Cheap Effects

Since the trailer first dropped for the film, there were criticisms that Hellboy: The Crooked Man just looked cheaper than its predecessors, which was something I was willing to defend from the mindset of it being a more isolated, smaller tale. However, having now seen the film, I agree there are far too many scenes in the movie that proved distracting because of how underwhelming the effects looked.

From the film’s opening moments, in which we see the demonically possessed spider going on a rampage that leads to the train derailing, it becomes immediately apparent the team was working with a smaller amount of money compared to previous adaptations. Even as the film progresses, and we see everything from visions of a woman on fire to people being attacked by supernatural snakes, the smaller budget is hard to ignore.

One of the worst signs of this is none other than The Crooked Man himself, who is, admirably, made up in practical effects. However, even with my appreciation for the focus on practical effects, he isn’t nearly as terrifying as he is in the comics, with the rope indentation on his neck looking more fake than grotesque, and his face lacking the inhuman appearance that he has in the source material.

The Writing Isn’t The Only Reason Hellboy Feels Unimportant

Kesy Looks The Part, But Is Quite Dry

Across both reboots of the franchise, the biggest thing Hellboy: The Crooked Man had going against it was the devotion to Perlman being the ultimate casting for the character. I actually enjoyed Harbour’s incarnation of the hero and wish he’d gotten another chance, as he infused a good mix of humor and emotion into the part. Jack Kesy proved something of an outlier choice for the part, and he unfortunately didn’t live up to it.

While it’s unclear whether the blame should be directed at the writing or the direction, Kesy definitely couldn’t overcome hurdles to make his version all that memorable. None of his dialogue is delivered all that compellingly; the actual look and physicality of his Hellboy is close to the comics, but underwhelming, and even when things get more intense for him, it kind of feels like Kesy’s bringing a no-care approach to the role.

That said, there is some good to be found in the rest of Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s cast. Adeline Rudolph delivers a solid supporting turn as the fresh-faced and curious rookie BPRD partner, Jefferson White is a bit of a mixed bag, but has a few moments in which his talent shines through, and Joseph Marcell provides some much-needed comedy in an otherwise ominous atmosphere. As a longtime fan of the franchise, it is disappointing that we still can’t get a good Hellboy movie from start to finish, and even in comparison to Harbour’s reboot, this one lacks any major style or energy to have it linger in my mind.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is now available to stream on Hulu.