When the first trailer for the upcoming Hellboy reboot screened at New York Comic Con a couple of months ago, viewers seemed dazzled by David Harbour’s fresh take on the title character and the crazy world he inhabits. But now that the general public has a teaser of their own to look over, the reception isn’t quite so glowing.
Coming from Dog Soldiers and The Descent helmsman Neil Marshall, the new Hellboy was hyped up as a darker affair than the Guillermo del Toro flicks, which made this one-liner-filled teaser and its ’80s dance pop soundtrack all the more surprising. And while the footage has already drawn its share of supporters and detractors, most fans on Twitter seem utterly divided in their thoughts on next year’s release:
https://twitter.com/NateBrail/status/1075245288388993024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1075245288388993024&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2018%2F12%2F19%2Fhellboy-trailer-new-movie-reactions%2F
https://twitter.com/THE_Stefano_DLC/status/1075431145574162432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1075431145574162432&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2018%2F12%2F19%2Fhellboy-trailer-new-movie-reactions%2F
https://twitter.com/S1Prabhdeep/status/1075470364111597568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1075470364111597568&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2018%2F12%2F19%2Fhellboy-trailer-new-movie-reactions%2F
https://twitter.com/kiIIcrites/status/1075419755559993344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1075419755559993344&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2018%2F12%2F19%2Fhellboy-trailer-new-movie-reactions%2F
I love me some Hellboy and I love me some David Harbour but I'm actually so nervous about this update. I hope it ends up being amazing. 🤞 https://t.co/OOiD5oVBDp
— Jason (@jasonthinks) December 19, 2018
Yeah, that humour is disappointing, but I do like
-The UK setting
-The R-Rating
-the cast in general
-the fact it seems to be doing that thing from the comics where Hellboy is just known to the public and nobody finds it weird— Stu (@slfricky) December 19, 2018
This #Hellboy looks like it could be kinda fun…
Or really, really, REALLY awful. https://t.co/soR7Zzjcv9
— Matt Kadish – SaltyNerd.com (@MatthewKadish) December 19, 2018
I watched the Hellboy leaked trailer and I'm honestly confused.
A lot of people are acting like it's horrible, but I have the exact opposite reaction.
I think it looks great!
Lots of fun along the lines of the GDT films, but still unique. Cool monster action and some gore. https://t.co/939EGeM2WE
— PunisherGNR.45 (@PunisherGNR45) December 19, 2018
Whether you love it, hate it, or don’t know what to think of it, the new trailer certainly isn’t the horror show that many of us were expecting, though for we all know, it’s just a matter of misleading marketing. Early reactions to the film’s test screenings have also given us some mixed signals, with reports from November suggesting something “pretty bad,” while more recently the word was that it’s a fun movie with a strong cast.
In any case, Marshall and his team will have to work hard to fill the void left by del Toro, and as it stands, fans seem as skeptical as ever. Nonetheless, we still have several months to go before Hellboy hits theaters on April 12th, 2019, and if the trailer hasn’t made the impression that Lionsgate was hoping for, perhaps there’s still time to win over the many viewers who are currently on the fence.
