听 User Rating 
Guillermo Del Toro puts back 13 minutes of excised footage in Hellboy: Director's Cut. It serves to enhance his "richly imaginative" and textured portrayal of a world where supernatural beasts and deities affect the outcome of World War II. On top of that, horned hero Ron Perlman introduces a third disc of new extra features.
Better Than The Devil You Know
Additions to disc one include a new commentary by Del Toro where he explains, "I felt the need to go back and put in some more character moments and absolutely surreal subplots that give a different flavour." Indeed this supplementary footage fleshes out the relationships between Hellboy and Liz (Selma Blair) while strengthening the dynamic between Hellboy and the ailing Broom (John Hurt). It all lends to an atmosphere that's slightly more sobering, but also more satisfying than the theatrical cut.
Composer Marco Beltrami adds his thoughts in an alternative track, which isolates the score - although the effect is redundant as he talks over half of it! Meanwhile the original cast commentary is now presented on disc three as a video feature. This along with other first edition extras, like the brilliant Seeds Of Creation documentary and set visit featurettes are reviewed here.
In a section titled Production Workshops on disc three, Del Toro guides us through a compilation of lighting and makeup tests. For those who are interested in the technical aspects of filmmaking this provides exhaustive insight into the differences between "Tungsten lights" and "kino fluorescents" and every type of gel and filter. In addition the director reveals that he didn't like the effect of torn skin around Hellboy's horns, but came to this realisation too late in the process.
Also in this section are three visual effects featurettes that elaborate on The Seeds Of Creation documentary. Early CG tests appear alongside video footage of a brave/stupid effects man who sets himself on fire to provide "a reference point" for Liz's spontaneous combustion. For the scenes where Hellboy battles the Behemoth, they looked at "lots of squid stuff and tentacle-y action..." and model builders painstakingly erect the Bellamie Hospital only to blow it up.
The Comic Stripped
A Q&A session from Comic Con in 2002 finds Del Toro, Perlman and comicbook scribe Mike Mignola assuring fans they will stay true to the original spirit of the story. "I want to make this The Last Emperor of cheesy monster movies!" Del Toro pronounced (according to Mignola). If you can't understand why comicbook fans are so protective of the mythology, check out A Quick Guide To Understanding Comics where cartoonist Scott McCloud compares his art to ancient Egyptian wall paintings and the Bayeux Tapestry. Hmm...
More galleries include scribbles and sketches from Del Toro's notebook (also available as a DVD-ROM feature on disc one) and Mike Mignola's conceptual drawings. Together with the first edition extras, this package covers all the bases and affords a better appreciation of a lovingly crafted (albeit flawed) film. In short, it's as hot as Hellboy fans can handle
EXTRA FEATURES
Disc One
Disc Two
Disc Three
