Wesley is a bored cubicle-dwelling corporate drone, with no plans and no real hope. Until one night he finds out that he's got a secret inheritance - his long-missing father has just been murdered, and a secret society of assassins want his assistance to avenge his father's death. And as Wesley discovers his own abilities as an assassin, he also learns exactly how dangerous his new friends might be...

Around 50% of the population find Angelina Jolie the epitome of lusty babe-ness. The other 50% find James McAvoy to be a big bucket of spunkiness. So put them together, give them guns, and let them run around blowing stuff up, and ... what more do you really need? In this case, the answer is "the director of Night Watch and Day Watch, two of the most fantastic looking action movies of recent times". Does it make sense? Do any of the laws of physics actually apply here? Does it really matter that this bears only a superficial plot resemblance to the comic it's sorta kinda based on? Is naming an Angelina Jolie character "Fox" incredibly redundant? Who cares? Two really really good looking people, with lotsa explosions. I'm sold already.

As you might have noticed, there are dark forces about in the world. Fortunately, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence (the BPRD, for those of you who love acronyms) are keeping watch over them, holding the thin line between our normal world and the unseen supernatural one, and keeping us safe from the things that go bump in the night. When an ancient truce between these two worlds is broken, and a charismatic prince seeks out an ancient army to conquer both worlds, the BPRD need their greatest hero. He's big. He's red. He's Hellboy.

For those of you who missed the first movie, you missed one of the better examples of "pop-culture-in-a-blender" of recent times, combining X-files-ish conspiracy stories with Lovecraftian horror, throwing in the Nazis and Rasputin, and pureeing with a dash of humour and action. So now's your time to catch up on the demonic hero with romantic soulfulness hiding underneath the grumpy, ass-kicking exterior. Director del Toro comes into the sequel fresh from his triumph with Pan's Labyrinth, so hopefully another cinematic spree in the realm of the fantastic is in store for us.