I enjoyed Hellboy II quite a bit, though it didn’t reach my too-high expectations. I love the breezy humor of the Hellboy films, and I appreciate that this version of the character is still a part of the B.P.R.D. team. (Unlike Mike Mignola’s comics series, which for years has had Hellboy on a solo vision quest.)

I was initially intrigued by the premise of the film, in which the faerie world intended to rise up against modern humanity, but I was disappointed that the rebellion was really just one pissed-off elf. In general, I found the villain of the piece uninteresting.

However, the imagination on display was enthralling. I loved the humongous plant elemental, the chattering tooth fairies and the many strange denizens of the Troll Market. I also got a kick out of the many background details, such as the episode of Night Gallery on Hellboy’s TV and the inclusion of one of the aliens from Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness,” which is said to be one of director Guillermo del Toro’s dream film projects.