HELLBOY (2004)

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Written by: Guillermo del Toro
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Rupert Evans
Rated: PG

About the film:
Rasputin intends to open a portal to hell and summon a demon that will lead the world to the apocalypse but his plans are temporarily thwarted. The baby demon was found and adopted by an expert in the paranormal who raised him to recognize right from wrong. 60 years later, the red devil is now the world’s dominant force fighting against evil but Rasputin has returned to lead Hellboy to the purpose for which he was created.

Movie Quote:
“In the absence of light, darkness prevails.”
Professor Bloom (John Hurt) in Hellboy (2004)

Bible Quote:
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV)

Commentary:
The key to recognizing the truth of Professor Bloom’s quote from Hellboy is to know that God is light. In the absence of God, darkness or evil truly will prevail. The only force more powerful than the evil that exists in this world is the truth of God that dwells in our hearts. We never want to abandon that truth.

Darkness can be suffocating. If you’ve ever gone spelunking or caving and, while in the bowels of the earth, turned off your flashlight, you’d know the truth of that statement. But the minute you turn your flashlight back on, the darkness is gone. Light is always more powerful than the darkness. It is only the absence of light that allows darkness to exist.

So it is with spiritual light and darkness. When God’s light is not present (meaning that we have turned away from Him and His Word), darkness will prevail in our lives. But the moment spiritual light manifests itself through our decision to turn to God and His will, the darkness must flee. It cannot co-exist with light.

The lesson for us is to stay within the light of God’s Word. His illuminating truth enables and empowers us so that we need not descend into the darkness and the many pitfalls that await us there.

Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. The movie’s main thematic question resolves around choice. Do demons have a choice?
2. The characters place a great deal of emphasis on the power contained in religious relics. Is there validity in this? Why or why not?

Michael Elliott
http://screensermon.blogspot.com