Hellboy

THE GIST: Born in Hell but adopted by humans, Hellboy is perennially caught between our world and the supernatural. This time he's called upon to help defeat a powerful ancient sorceress, now reborn and seeking vengeance on humanity.

Hellboy was brought to the screen back in 2004 with decent results, which led to a far superior sequel in 2008. In this reboot, the lead role is played by David Harbour, who does a good enough job, but falls short of the charismatic Ron Perlman's performance.

The script also feels tepid, in spite of the requisite irreverent banter and the high stakes at play.

Ian McShane doesn't have a big role, but does the most of it. Milla Jovovich, though only a mediocre actress, is convincing as the baddie. Sasha Lane and Daniel Dae Kim, as Hellboy's new sidekicks, seem intriguing enough to warrant further development in possible future installments.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Excellent visual effects and a hard-rock soundtrack help setting the mood and the pace, but the movie never really seems to take off.

Grade: 5.5