Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms / Blood & Iron Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
This animated double feature from the hit Hellboy franchise includes "Sword of Storms," in which Hellboy battles
to save a professor from two ancient demons, and "Blood & Iron," in which our hero must thwart a plan to
resurrect an evil vampire. As Hellboy and BPRD sidekicks Kate Corrigan and Rusell Thorne fight the good fight,
they square off against a malevolent goddess and a host of ghosts, werewolves, harpies and other awesome
foes.
With live-action films adapted from comics and graphic novels all the rage these days, it's no
surprise that in recent years a deluge of animated films furthering the mystique of the legends of
ink and telling more -- and bigger -- tales from the exciting worlds of heroes, villains, and
superpowers have cropped up on the market in support of and
complimentary to their big-brother counterparts, and much like their mega-million dollar
live-action brethren, the pictures are, no surprise, of varying quality. Amidst the hoopla
surrounding The X-Men,
The Incredible Hulk,
Iron Man, and
friends, Mike Mignola's creation of a more recent vintage, Hellboy, earned two excellent
live-action filmadaptations in the past
several years, each a testament to both Mignola's creative genius and Director Guillermo del
Toro's impeccable visual style. Fresh off their successes, a pair of animated Hellboy
adventures -- Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron -- were released to an eager
public, the results fairly true to the Hellboy universe but the films lacking the magic,
allure, and grandeur of del Toro's fabulous pictures.
Sword of StormsRating: 2.5/5
A prominent academic, Professor Sakai, uncovers and examines an ancient Japanese scroll. He
soon becomes a pawn in an ancient feud and possessed by warriors of thunder and lighting, both
of whom
are still attempting to battle a warrior wielding the Sword of Storms, a weapon with
the ability to slay demons. After the possessed Professor attacks one of his colleagues, the
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is called in to investigate. Leading the charge is the
team of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). When
Hellboy picks up the ancient sword, he finds himself instantly transported to a world of ancient
Japanese myth and culture where he must battle a variety of nasties in order to protect the
valuable sword and return to his own time and place. Meanwhile, Abe and Liz find their hands full
with a powerful sea demon, while Kate Corrigan and psychic investigator Russell Thorne attempt
to unravel the mystery of the possessed professor.
Blood and IronRating: 3/5
When the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is called upon as a favor from a
prominent U.S. Senator to send an investigative team to uncover the "truth" behind a series of
hauntings at a well-to-do mansion in the Hamptons that's set to become the latest
entertainment and tourism destination, Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (John Hurt) quickly
rearranges the team members' schedules so his top agents can accompany him on the mission,
which is
seen as nothing more than a publicity stunt. Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and "the human metal detector,"
Sidney Leach (Rob Paulsen), make the trip and, sure enough, soon find the house to be full of
spirits. As the agents unearth the truth and battle assorted demons, Professor Bloom -- in a
series
of flashbacks -- reveals a story from his distant past that sees him pitted against the vampire
Erzsebet Ondrushko, a beast who has slain countless innocents in the pursuit for eternal youth,
spurred on by an arrangement with the goddess Hecate. Can Bloom, Hellboy, and the rest of the
team put to rest a decades-old dilemma and bring peace to a group of tortured souls?
Neither Sword of Storms nor Blood and Iron prove poor outings, animated or
otherwise, but there's a noticeable absence of cohesion, drama, and most importantly, the fun
factor that proved one of the live-action films' greatest strengths. Of course, comparing relatively
low-budgeted cartoons with multi-million dollar feature-length films makes not a cut-and-dry
study, but regardless of the medium and dollar figures involved, story proves the
number-one selling
point to most any film, and while Hellboy's pair of animated adventures yield passably
entertaining fare, there's a lack of rhythm and charm to each picture -- and to Sword of
Storms in particular -- that keeps them from achieving the same must-see quality of del
Toro's
pictures. The return of the feature films' quartet of leading voice talent -- Perlman, Blair, Jones,
and Hurt -- lend not only continuity but credence to the pictures. The voice acting is certainly
one of the animated films' greatest assets, the transition from live action to animated adventures
both
natural and seamless. However, the pictures lack an abundance of energy, both following the
same basic
structure that sees the team come together to work a case, become separated, and face their
own challenges in the supernatural world. The stories themselves range from bland (Sword
of Storms) to intriguing (Blood and Iron), but neither are particularly memorable
and
both seem just a bit too involved for what are but 70-some minute pictures, each attempting to
cram as much story and as many villains and perils in as possible, even at the
expense of flow.
However, both films capture the wit and charm of the characters themselves nicely, and
longtime fans should appreciate the way each primary is handled within the confines of the
stories.
Both Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron arrive on a single 25GB Blu-ray disc with
a
1080p transfer housed within the confines of a 1.78:1 frame. This transfer yields a solid image
considering the picture's animated origins. There's some nice detail and definition to be seen in
both backgrounds and character renderings. Additionally, the image offers a fair sense of
dimension,
and considering its sharp, crisp lines and mostly fluid motion, the transfer looks wonderful in both
more deliberate scenes as well as in the faster-paced action that's found in each film. This Blu-ray
disc also handles both films' color palettes well. The opening sequence in Sword of Storms
is
heavy in blues, greens, grays, and blacks, the transfer handsomely rendering the darker segments
as well as
the brighter backgrounds found throughout both pictures, Hellboy's bright red skin in particular.
Only a hint of banding in select shots mars an otherwise solid transfer from Starz.
Hellboy: Sword of Storms/Blood and Iron features only a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.
Fortunately, this offering -- while not as crisp and convincing as a top-flight lossless or
uncompressed mix -- does an admirable job of drawing the listener into each film and creating a
fair
sense of space that opens up the worlds of both. The track does lack a bit of oomph at
calibrated reference volume, but never does it sound worn-down or wimpy. The track delivers
fairly
strong atmospherics that consistently create a noticeably pleasant atmosphere; whether dripping
background
water, a rolling thunderstorm, buzzing electricity, the hum of a helicopter's rotors as heard inside
its belly, or flowing chants bouncing off the cavernous walls of a cathedral, there's rarely a
sequence where the track doesn't invite the listener to become part of the action from the
comfort
of the sofa or recliner. Additionally, imaging is excellent; sound maneuvers around the listening
area with ease and in conjunction with the on-screen action to realistic effect. However, more
powerful
effects don't fare quite as well; gunshots lack much authority, and more pronounced action
effects
feature only a fair amount of heft. Dialogue reproduction is never a problem in either film.
Though
these mixes would have no doubt further benefited from lossless or uncompressed soundtracks,
what's here is rather good for a pair of Dolby Digital tracks.
Hellboy: Sword of Storms/Blood and Iron doesn't make for a potent pair of animated
delight,
but each offers suitable entertainment that should please Hellboy super-fans and satiate
the appetite for new adventures from the character's more tepid supporters. Though neither film
comes close to beating out the live-action pictures from a story perspective, there's enough here to
enjoy once or twice and bask in the glory that is "Big Red" in the animated realm. This
Starz/Anchor Bay Blu-ray release sports a quality 1080p transfer, a lossy Dolby Digital soundtrack
that's of high quality, but no extra materials. Considering the price, fans should have no
reservations about picking this one up.
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