“Hellboy: The Crooked Man” has already the recipient of some dubious press. Earlier this year, there was controversy due to a misunderstanding where people initially thought the new film was going to use AI to enhance some of the effects. “Crooked Man” director Brian Taylor took to social media to set the record straight. “To be clear: there is exactly *ZERO* AI used on hellboy: the crooked man. both characters – hellboy and the crooked man – were created and shot 100% gloriously practical, as the movie gods intended, with no cgi enhancement… and look AMAZING.” While that’s good to hear, it makes it even more of a shame that the new, practical Hellboy look hasn’t been well-received.
It’s clear fans still have a soft spot for Ron Perlman’s portrayal of the demonic character. @CocaColaOfish likened Jack Kesy’s demonic hero to a far less beloved iteration, posting, “We’re finally getting the sequel to Disaster Movie Hellboy” along with a screenshot of the character from the poorly-received parody film. Many seem to think it’s time for the character to embrace a different medium, like one X user who wrote, “Hellboy has such a unique visual style that live-action doesn’t help it. We need an animated Hellboy movie.”
Given Hellboy’s look and the film’s general aesthetic, it would seem “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” has a drastically lower budget than most modern comic book adaptations. It seems to be opting for creepy folk-horror vibes rather than extravagant visual effects, and maybe that new turn will make audiences look past the costumes. If done well, “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” could very well take a spot among the upcoming superhero movies that will blow us all away.
