In 2004, writer/director Guillermo del Toro took Mike Mignola‘s brilliant comic book series, Hellboy, and faithfully created a big-screen adaptation.

Now it’s four years later and in less than a week, we’ll see del Toro’s next Hellboy offering, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, an original story with an all-new villain, Prince Nuada, the leader of the underground Golden Army.

Below, the Geeks of Doom staff offers up their thoughts on the film, which opens in theaters on July 11, 2008. And it’s unanimous — we’re all pumped for this one!

Synopsis
After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it’s up to the planet’s toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense””pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann””the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who’s accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

Bad Monkey
Why am I looking forward to Hellboy II?

After enjoying the heck out of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Wanted, I’m primed for another comic book movie success! Guillermo del Toro’s fantastic creature work (ala the remarkable Pan’s Labyrinth) coupled with his respect of the source material promises another fantastic Hellboy experience at the theater. The radiant Selma Blair on fire doesn’t hurt either.

Wildstar
When I “rediscovered” my love of comics about ten years ago, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy quickly became one of my “must-buy” titles. And, one of my favorite Hellboy stories from the era is a short, two-pager, simply titled, “Pancakes.” It’s a straightforward tale, something that you could easily imagine on Sesame Street (if it were produced and directed by Aleister Crowley, that is”¦), about the joys of trying new things. Over the years, a couple of lines from that story, “I want hot noodles!” and “I don’t like Pam-cakes!” have found their way into my family’s vernacular. Any time someone either mentions eating hot noodles or pancakes, someone will invariably quote the 2-year-old Hellboy and his dislike of “pam-cakes.”

JackBauerstein83
I am excited to see Hellboy II. I think Hellboy was a tad bit slow, probably due to the fact that it was a origin movie. The trailer looks good, with Del Toro doing what he does best: Create crazy looking monsters! Ron Perlman, I am sure will deliver as always so I am expecting big numbers for the sequel.

The Movie God
Guillermo del Toro, monsters, fairies, and all sorts of fantastical creatures; the ability to let that imagination of his run free?  These are the things we crave as film geeks.  This is what makes Hellboy II so exciting.  I can’t wait!

Neverwanderer
Hellboy is awesome. Of course, it TOOK me 10 years to learn that Hellboy was awesome, but like all awesome things, it came to me in time. What’s especially cool about Hellboy, though, is that without him, I wouldn’t have discovered Guillermo del Toro. And THAT, my friends, would have been a travesty. Del Toro is the kind of filmmaker we all want to be… He’s intelligent, he’s bafflingly creative, he’s funny as hell, he’s willing to take risks in the face of the Hollywood Hit machine, and to add the cherry on top of all of that… he’s successful. He’s one of those creators who hits, even when he misses — and he always looks good doing it. I almost feel like its HIM that’s going to be dragging me into the theaters this weekend more than Hellboy! But Hellboy‘s pretty awesome, so it’s a win-win either way.

Have I mentioned that Hellboy is awesome…?

Henchman21
Having already seen the movie, my anticipation now lies in seeing it with other people and seeing their reaction to it. I really enjoyed the movie and I’m hoping my friends and family can share in my excitement. The movie totally lived up and exceeded my anticipation. This movie really proves that this is a year for great comic book movies, between the already great Iron Man, the mostly decent Incredible Hulk and Wanted, and the highly anticipated Dark Knight. I can’t see how people are not going to enjoy this film, and I can’t wait to hear of everyone’s enjoyment of it.”¨Â 

Obi-Dan
There are few movies being released this year that excite me as much as Hellboy II. When I first saw Hellboy it was like a breath of fresh air. I hadn’t read the comic books but I didn’t feel like I had to. To me, it was like everything I needed to know about the Hellboy universe was in that movie; it felt complete. Unlike a lot of movies which feel like an advert for the sequel, Hellboy made me want to see more, it wasn’t like I felt I had to. And thanks to Hellboy, Guillermo del Toro has entered a period in his career that few filmmakers reach: the midas era. Everything he talks about, touches, even thinks about turns to gold. Hellboy suggested that this would happen, Pan’s Labyrinth confirmed it, and Hellboy II will blow them both away. Everything is in place for this to become one of the greatest comic book movies. And even if the film sucks, well, have you seen the new creatures?!

Cinema Junkie
I watched Hellboy again last night. Is it possible for a film to be better a second time? Yes, it is. I remember being totally blown away by Hellboy back when it was first released in theaters. I knew Guillermo del Toro’s work from Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, Blade II, and Mimic. I was always enamored by his style. Hellboy is special. As much as I like Bryan Singer’s X-Men films and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, this film really touched me in ways that no other film in the genre had since The Crow. Del Toro respected Mike Mignola’s creation like no one had respected any source material before. Hellboy is an incredibly engaging film. It is the perfect role for Ron Perlman. He is a fully realized character. In 2004, this was before Kill Bill: Vol. 2 and Spider-Man 2, the magic of the year had yet to take hold, but Del Toro created something that I never expected. Hellboy was perfect. I was still a cynic and expected nothing. I got a lot in return. He created Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006 and that film is as good as they come. In 2004, Del Toro made me a believer in the power of movies again. His love for pulp, like Tarantino’s love for cinema, made me fall in love with the art form all over again. I will always be grateful for that April day in 2004. I will always be grateful for the magic that is created on those shadows on the wall.

Dr. Royce Clemens
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is the film I’m most looking forward to this summer. Talk all you want about your cutesy little robots and your emo clowns, I want to watch the movie where the demon swears, chain-smokes, and kicks ass. It’s the American Way after all. Yup, HB2:TGA promises more hideously made-up creatures than Sex and the City … And THAT’S no mean feat.