Starring Ron Perlman & Selma Blair. Rated 14A. Now playing.

What a visual ride.

If Pan’s Labyrinth was any indication of the fanciful imagination director Guillermo del Toro harbours, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a fuller realization of his potential. This sequel boasts a fascinating but dizzying array of fantastic creatures, with idiosyncratic interpretations of trolls and tooth fairies, talking tumours, and scurrying miniature Siamese twins. Like Amidala’s extravagant costume changes for every scene in the Star Wars prequels, however, it becomes a distraction.

What it distracts from is a disappointingly predictable plot.

A young Hellboy (with an annoyingly perky dubbed voice) is told a legend about a war between humankind and magickind, led by elves. Much to the chagrin of the elf king’s son, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), the massive, mechanical Golden Army the elf king created was never employed, as a truce was reached.

Nuada (surprise, surprise) vowed to assert power by obtaining the pieces of his father’s crown that controlled the army.

His twin sister (Anna Walton) escaped with the remaining piece, and winds up under the protection of Hellboy’s team from the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

Although Hellboy (Ron Perlman) gets to bust many a move in the fight sequences against a pantheon of monstrous foes, his teammates—the aquatic C3PO and empath, Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), and Hellboy’s human-torch girlfriend, Liz (a Posh-cropped Selma Blair, who can’t disguise her weak acting even behind a wall of flame)—are often left with nothing to do but watch their red-skinned compatriot. Considering how much effort was put into Abe’s appearance, you’d think they’d at least give him an underwater action sequence to show off some special skills.

The addition of the Teutonic mist being and group leader Johann Kraus (James Dodd, voiced by Seth MacFarlane) rounds out the team.

Ever the multitasker, Hellboy also works through some undercooked subplots: relationship problems with Liz and some unconvincing public backlash against his heroic actions.

Sure, there’s action and humour aplenty to keep audience engaged, but what originality the visuals boast doesn't hide the screenplay’s reliance on conventional ingredients.

Read more: Guillermo del Toro raises some Hellboy.

Also check out: Ron Perlman exorcises demons in Hellboy.