HELLBOY II: The Golden Army is every bit as fast and furious as its predecessor, melding dazzling production design with wry humour.

Director Guillermo del Toro is given free reign to let his imagination run riot, concocting a dark and bloody fairy-tale full of trolls, goblins and voracious tooth fairies. Yet there is much more to del Toro’s sequel than impeccable style, as the clandestine Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development (BPRD) struggles to keep Hellboy hidden from prying eyes.

Ron Perlman carries off his role with gusto, teasing out the humour of his reluctant saviour from behind the prosthetic make-up.