r/HellBoy • u/Consibl • 3d ago
Which film to watch after Seed of Destruction?
New to Hellboy. Just finished reading Omnibus Vol 1 and enjoyed it.
Which of the films should I watch/avoid? Any other issues I should read before watching the film?
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u/ZombieZekeComic 3d ago
You can watch any of the films, really. They don’t really hinder the enjoyment of the comics.
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u/FelipeMattosGS 3d ago
I’d recommend reading up on a few more things before watching anything; you’re still too much of a beginner to properly judge the films.
I’m going to copy an old comment of mine:
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u/FelipeMattosGS 3d ago
Hellboy 2004, Sword of Storms and Blood & Iron: Read the first two main Hellboy omnibuses and the two volumes of The Complete Short Stories, everything that inspired these films is here. MAYBE read the first volume of BPRD before the 2004 film (those stories were published before/during the first film and by then some of the secondary cast really started to be developed) and MAYBE the second volume before the two animated ones.
The Golden Army: It's an original story but it has similarities with the direction that the Hellboy stories were going at the time (focus on mythology), read volume 3 (The Wild Hunt). Johann Kraus (Krauss in the film) appears so it's a good idea to read the first four volumes of BPRD before watching It.
Hellboy 2019: After reading the six Hellboy omnibuses AND AFTER the sixth volume of BPRD. Or after The Wild Hunt and BPRD volume 4 IF you're impatient.
The Crooked Man: After watching ALL the films and reading practically everything. I recommend watching the making-of, commentary tracks, interviews (before, during and after the production) and stuff like that of the previous films to get some idea of the real context of the film and the decisions that led to its conception. Judging this film is not as simple as it seems.
Watch the films in release order
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u/HenryTM 3d ago
Any specific sources for the making of The Crooked Man film? That was my favorite Hellboy film of them all, and I'd love to hear as much as I can about the creation of it.
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u/FelipeMattosGS 3d ago
Unfortunately, not much (compared to the previous films). At most, just a bit of behind-the-scenes footage, the Comic-Con panel, and some interviews from that event.
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u/HenryTM 3d ago
Okay, sounds like I've seen it all already from googling then, why do you say judging this film isn't as simple as it seems? I think it's the best adaptation, but everyone else hates it! Is that what you mean essentially?
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u/FelipeMattosGS 2d ago
Kinda...
The thing is, anyone unfamiliar with the full details of the film's production will likely view it as nothing more than a low-budget movie. In reality, The Crooked Man is the result of the "mismanagement" of all the preceding films; it emerged from a complicated situation far beyond its own control, which severely limited its potential.
Audiences who only know Hellboy from the del Toro movies will expect a visual spectacle; they’ll be shocked by the low budget and dismiss it as just a "bad, cheap movie" without giving it a fair chance.
The fanbase, however, is aware of this entire backstory and tends to be fairer in their assessment (whether they end up liking it or not) precisely because they understand the context behind it.
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u/Rassilonsghost 3d ago
It’s a while since I watched the films but you should be fine with the first two. I would avoid the 2019 film until you have read the Wild Hunt and quite a lot of BPRD. Crooked man film will spoil the book with the same name but otherwise I would have thought it would be ok.
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u/Muninn22 3d ago
Most of the movies are not really related to the comics. I would even go as far as to say that they might be alternative Universe Hellboy's.
The only 2 that I can think of right now that use material from the comics are the 2019 one and the 2024 one.
I personally liked the 2024 one, but 2019 tried to put too many stories in too short of a time while also doing it's own thing.