Where are the themes?
I'm a fan of Elfman and all, and I'm glad he decided to return to his old-school sound, but come on, where are the themes? This cd is so hard to listen to because the music just sounds like random noise to me. There's nothing tying it together. Marco Beltrami's score for the first film was a lot better than this mess.

On a side note, the sound quality is excellent. But that's about it.

This Is Danny Elfman's Best!
I can't stop listening to the music to Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. When I purchased the cd, I never believed it would be so addicting! Danny Elfman has never been one of my favorite composers, but what he's done with the second Hellboy is trully amazing and I have to give him credit for taking a risk.

The first Hellboy was musically boring. Marco Beltrami is an average composer and has only captivated me with his music to "iRobot" or "Live Free or Die Hard". But this time around, Hellboy is given the music he deserves and I'm glad that Danny Elfman took the risk of changing things up a bit.

The music is phenomenal and is clearly one of my top three this year. Little things like a little girl going "la la la la" or creepy whispers, and even the themes are astounding! Epic music that just screams Hellboy everytime I listen to it. The movie was great, but this music is meant to be listened to and I suggest you do just that!

If you want to know how great this music really is, just listen to a sample of the song titled "Hellboy 2 Titles". I promise you'll be hooked.

Fine Film Score from Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman has rendered one of his better scores for the film "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". While it is as much an orchestral work as his highly acclaimed "Batman" scores, Elfman's music takes a much different turn here. While another reviewer condemns Elfman for relying upon Bernard Herrmann's great symphonic film scores for inspiration, I personally see nothing wrong here, since Elfman has had his own distinctive style that's truly far removed from Herrmann's. If anything, then even echoing Herrmann's lush scores here probably is more accidental or a slight homage or both. Elfman has done a superb job in adding more "life" to scenes rich in action, but I also commend his subtle compositions showcasing the evolving romance between the elven princess and Hellboy's alien sidekick.

Full of Elfmanisms yet hardly any heart
I've had this album on repeat for two weeks and can come away saying two things: Elfman has returned to a much more orchestral base and that return is uninspired. The themes are heavily influenced by the motif writing of Bernard Herrmann yet somehow are unable to make an emotional impact. Elfman's "jagged yet beautiful" chord progressions are absent as well as the inventive orchestration. The grandeur of "hell" and the darker world living beneath our own is just plain gone.

With every Elfman score there has been an overwhelming "vibe" for the film -- Hellboy II is the same, but the vibe is "dry, slow and unemotional". If you're expecting a grand Stravinsky/Prokofiev influenced operatic score you will find none of that here -- instead Elfman has showed us his mundane imitation of Herrmann, without any of the cohesive emotional impact or orchestral creativity.

Very good Soundtrack
First of all I enjoyed this movie and I think the score went well with it. The action parts provide a a great pace and add to the film's many splendid action scenes. But the real strength of this score I think is the bittersweet tender themes it evokes. The Last Elemental and the Finale capture the sadness of what it really feels like for the world to lose something splendid. Overall the soundtrack is solid but the tracks that deal with the tender moments in the film excel and are the reason I got it.