Int. B.R.P.D. Medical Bay - Night

After a brief exchange of Spanish with editor Bernat Vilaplana, del Toro switched to a later scene that gives an insight into not only one of the other new characters - and a new addition to the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development - protoplasmic mystic Johann (voiced by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane), but also the dark, quirky sense of humour running through the film. The gang are searching for clues about the culprit of the auction house heist and have captured one of Prince Nuada's magical beasties.

Displaying the kind of brilliantly insane logic commonplace in the movie, Johann decides to use his ectoplasmic powers to revive a 'tooth fairy' - a small winged beast who doesn't leave you money for your discarded incisors, but instead viciously eats his way through your body, beginning - naturally - with your teeth. The critter lets slip that he remembers the sounds of a Troll Market whilst the rest of the BPRD look on puzzled, and then promptly coughs, splutters and dies again. We thought he looked quite cute.



Ext. East Brooklyn Bridge - Night

The crew then tool themselves with special "Schufftein glasses" that enable them to detect supernatural beings disguising themselves as humans (as trolls are wont to do) and go off in search of the Market. They approach a bent-over old lady near the Brooklyn Bridge whose collection of cats tips them off that she may be a troll - they're delicious to trolls, naturally - and she leads them to the Market's entrance, but then refuses to give them the combination to the ornate gates.

Her usefulness expended, Hellboy - true-to-character - smacks her in the face, sending her flying and prompting an hysterical laugh from del Toro who told us he adores Hellboy's idiosyncrasies. They eventually enter the Troll Market, and we're given a Tatooine cantina-from-Star Wars-on-acid-like glimpse into the mystical denizens of Hellboy's supernatural world, with the director's camera swooping past some of the most inventive, expressive and downright weird creature designs we've ever seen. The scene, as with the other sequences we were shown, was teeming with the kind of beastialogical detail the director hinted at with his work on Cronos, Mimic and Pan's Labyrinth.



Int. Golden Army Chamber - Night
BIG Spoiler Alert

Our final slice of sneak peakery was a hugely impressive action sequence towards the end of the film that highlighted the huge scope of the movie compared to the first instalment. We are now in a huge hall, with the team in the centre of the room surrounded by, you've guessed-it, the Golden Army. Yep, Prince Nuada has managed to revive the legion, and the nefarious scion has ordered them to crush the B.R.P.D. team.

What follows is a raucous, frenetic and kinetically shot set-piece, with the director's roving camera swooping and darting around our heroes as they try to avoid a metallic pummelling. Hellboy himself is at the centre of the action, with the demonic dauphin jumping from robot to robot, firing his pistol into their unprotected innards and doing his best to stay alive. We also see Johann find another novel use for his ectoplasmic ways, employing his multi-purpose ether to turn one of the golden soldiers against the others. As the action rolls on, the camera pans out, showing more and more conscripts in Nuada's army awakening from their glowing red cocoons.

At this point we ran out of time, but were left in do doubt that Hellboy II: The Golden Army, will be a visually breathtaking, quirky, funny and distinctly individual film. The clips were dense, with del Toro's signature directorial style, teeming with horror, comic and mythical references that sets the film apart from this summer's other big budget blockbusters. The humour and characteristic banter from the first film remain intact, but with the scope expanded and the action ramped up this time around. Here's hoping the finished film will be as awesome as this footage suggests!

For more exclusive artwork from Hellboy II, click here to head to our sister site IGN Movies.