For our displaced demon soldier saving the fate of human kind is a piece of cake compared to keeping his hotheaded girlfriend happy.
 
When we're reunited with Hellboy (Ron Perlman) we discover that he and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) have been rooming together. Lately, things have been getting a bit tense. It seems that everything Hellboy does rubs Ms. Sherman the wrong way. Not a good idea to upset someone that can incinerate the bedroom in a matter of minutes.

The major plot of the story actually centers on a long lost weapon called The Golden Army. Way back in ye olden days of myth there was a war between the humans and the creatures of the wood (elves, trolls, gnomes, etc.). The elf lord, King Balor (Roy Dotrice) gives the green light to the creation of a mechanical army. Over 5,000 robots controlled by the one that wears the golden crown. Balor unleashes the army on the humans and it looks like mankind is on the road to annihilation.

But Balor is distressed by the carnage and calls off the robots. He makes a truce with the humans, has the Golden Army put in storage and separates the crown into three pieces so it may never be used again. Balor's son, Prince Nuala (Luke Goss), is certain the humans will not uphold the truce. He sees them as a virus on the land that must be cleansed. He exiles himself until the time is right for the creatures of myth to rise up and retake the Earth.

Looks like 2008 is the perfect time for a revolution. Prince Nuala and his trusty hench-troll, Mr. Wink, track down the pieces of the golden crown. With the crown in his hands (or on his head, rather) he will be able to reactivate the Golden Army and bring down the human race forever. Now it is up to Hellboy and his BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense) agents to stop Nuala and prevent the Golden Army from reawakening.

That's just the main plot thread. "Hellboy II" is a smorgasbord of stories including the aforementioned relationship troubles between HB and Liz, aquatic wonder Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) finding a potential companion for himself, the addtion of a new agent to the team, and HB's continuing struggle to find a way to be accepted by the people he protects. It sounds like a lot. Sounds complicated, even. I assure you that all the subplots tie in quite seamlessly with the main story very well.

Some highlights I can point out without spoiling the surprises are the incredible creatures on display in the film. The imagination combination of Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola, and director, Guillermo Del Toro, concoct an amazing assortment of creatures. The premier of the Troll Market smacked of the legendary Mos Eisely Cantina scene from "Star Wars: Episode IV". My personal favorite is the skeletal spectre with "eyeful" wings". That action figure already has a place reserved on my bathroom shelf.

While seeing Ron Perlman all red in the face again is a blast the big payoff comes for his two buddies. Blair's "Liz" is upgraded from the shy damsel in the first movie to a confident firestarter and full fledged BPRD agent in this latest installment. Doug Jones supplies the body and voice for Abe Sapien this time and also gets to do much more field work out of the tank. The three stars are dazzling whether playing off each other or in solo scenes.

The most notable of the new breed is Luke Goss as the human hating prince who has trained his body into a lethal combination of eye popping gymnastics and hyperquick swordplay.

His twin sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), on the other hand believes in the ideals of her father. Nuala believes we can all get along and helps the BPRD to thwart her brother's crazy plan. I had a conversation with some friends about Walton's performance and we all saw shards of various actresses in her portrayal. The names that came up were Isabella Rossellini, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Emily Watson. A testament to Watson's talent that her "Nuala" is infused with the finest aspects of those screen gems.

Special effects are the same flavor from the first movie and thank goodness for that. Del Toro has digital effects, classic makeup and rubber suit techniques and then combinations of the two. Like the "Lord of the Rings" movie series "Hellboy" shows that there is plenty of room for both mediums and more importantly that latex and cosmetics are far from obsolete in today's Tinseltown.

There's more to say about "Hellboy II". A lot more. But then we'd get into "spoiler" territory and you know I draw the line there. The "nutshell" review is that "Hellboy II" takes everything you loved about the first Hellboy movie and expands upon it. Highly interesting and entertaining characters, an exciting story that blends humor, drama & romance without dragging down the tempo, and Ron Perlman. Just seeing Ron Perlman again is incentive enough to go. The man is a sci-fantasy icon and here again he strikes....er, gold.

Oh right, I did mention Barry Manilow. All I'll say is that he helps Abe and HB with their romance woes. You'll have to see the movie to find out how.