What To Watch This Weekend: 'Hellboy,' 'Missing Link' And More

This weekend, movie theaters will debut a slew of exciting films featuring mighty superheroes, legendary creatures and undeterred dreamers.

In the much-anticipated “Hellboy” reboot, David Harbour plays the titular role of the half-demon superhero with the Right Hand of Doom. Joining him in the origin movie are Milla Jovovich and Ian McShane, who star as the superhero’s most formidable foe and biggest ally, respectively.

In the mood for a music-fueled flick? Look no further than “Teen Spirit,” in which Elle Fanning stars as an aspiring teenage singer in search of her inner voice to conquer stardom.

Meanwhile, fans of Anna Todd’s young-adult novel, “After,” can finally get to see its film version, starring Josephine Langford as a young and naïve college freshman who falls for a mysterious campus hunk (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) with a devastating secret.

The body-swap comedy, “Little,” also debuts this weekend, starring Regina Hall as a standoffish businesswoman who wakes up one morning transformed into a 13-year-old girl (Marsai Martin).

Finally, stop-animation film, “Missing Link,” comes to life onscreen with Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis and Zoe Saldana portraying a trio of adventurers on the way to the Himalayas.

Here's what to see and skip this weekend:

Opening This Weekend

“Hellboy” — David Harbour, Milla Jovovich; directed by Neil Marshall

Adapted from Mike Mignola’s well-acclaimed comic book series, Neil Marshall’s reboot of Guillermo del Torro’s supernatural action franchise stars David Harbour as the crimson-skinned, half-demon superhero.

The new film opens with a black-and-white prologue set in the Dark Ages, just as King Arthur stops a powerful sorceress called Nimue the Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich) from destroying Earth. To prevent the queen from coming back to life, Arthur chops her corpse up into six pieces and buries them separately all over England.

Jumping forward to present day, the film shows Hellboy serving as an investigator from the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Professor Broom (Ian McShane), BPRD’s founder and Hellboy’s adoptive father, sends our hero off to the English countryside to hunt down a trio of rampaging giants.

As his mission unfolds, Hellboy teams up with his psychic pal Alice Monaghan (Sasha Lane) and Major Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim), a BPRD agent with werewolf-jaguar abilities. Together, they will battle a resurrected grudge-bearing Nimue.

Skip it. Disappointingly, this R-rated film is peppered with a copious amount of unwelcome gore. Plus, the screenplay feels very disjointed at times.

Watch the trailer:

“Missing Link” — Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldana; directed by Chris Butler

“ParaNorman” writer-director Chris Butler has created another stylized stop-motion animation, this time about a legendary creature who is believed to be a “link to our past, a connection to our present, and a bridge to our future.”

Hugh Jackman voices Sir Lionel Frost, a self-proclaimed cryptozoology expert on a quest to prove that Bigfoot exists. When he finally finds the beast roaming around in the forests of North America, Sir Lionel names him Mr. Link (voiced by Zach Galifianakis). The furry eight-foot tall, 631-pound Sasquatch can speak and even write.

As the two unlikely friends get to know each other, they decide to search for Mr. Link’s long-lost relatives in the Himalayas. But they need a map in order to get to Nepal, and Adelina Fortnight (voiced by Zoe Saldana), an explorer’s widow, is the only one who has it.

Will the trio work well together? Will Mr. Link finally get reunited with his cousins?

See it. The color palette is visually spellbinding; the storytelling is rich and entertaining; the leads’ performances are impressive. Overall, it’s another winner from Laika and Butler that is destined to be a perennial animation favorite.

Watch the trailer:

“Teen Spirit” — Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall; directed by Max Minghella

Elle Fanning stars as an aspiring singer in “Teen Spirit,” a modern fairy tale drama about pop stardom that marks Max Minghella’s directorial debut.

Violet (Elle Fanning) is a 17-year-old Polish girl living on the brink of poverty with her single mom on Isle of Wight. Her only passion is singing, which provides her solace and comfort to escape her dreary life.

One night while singing at an open mic, she catches the eye of Vlad (Zlatco Buric), a former opera singer who becomes her mentor and confidante. In turn, the old man shepherds Violet through her journey all the way to the “Teen Spirit” national finals in London, where the young singer will have to battle her own inner demons to win it all.

Can Violet prevail as she learns the price of stardom and success in life?

See it. Determined and fierce, Fanning explores the fear of the unknown with her finest performance to date. And for those wondering whether she does her own vocals in the movie, the answer is yes.

Watch the trailer:

“Little” — Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin; directed by Tina Gordon

Tina Gordon’s body-swap comedy follows the story of Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall), a driven tech mogul who is condescending, fastidious and cold because of her fear of emotional entanglements.

One day, Jordan becomes a victim of a magic spell from a kid who totally disdains the business woman. The following morning, Jordan discovers that she has become a 13-year-old girl (Marsai Martin) again.

Suddenly, “little” Jordan needs to go back to school under the watchful eye of her personal assistant April Williams (Issa Rae), whom the “big” Jordan bosses around day in and day out. It’s pay-back time as April sees it, setting in motion a myriad of comical, unexpected-yet-unavoidable events in their lives.

See it. Though the plot is predictable, the movie brings plenty of laughter and fun along the way.

Watch the trailer:

“After” — Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Selma Blair, Josephine Langford; directed by Jenny Gage

Anna Todd’s young-adult novel comes to life in “After,” a coming-of-age story about first love, sexual awakening and heartbreak, told through the eyes of a guarded and innocent young woman.

Josephine Langford stars as Tessa Young, an 18-year-old who has meticulously mapped out her entire future: Get a college degree, find a successful career and live happily ever after with her high school sweetheart Noah (Dylan Arnold).

However, her perfect plan is tested when Tessa enters her first semester in college. There, she catches the eye of a fellow student, the rebellious and flirtatious Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who tries to woo her. At first, the young woman is determined to keep her distance, but when Hardin shows his vulnerable side, Tessa decides to have a change of heart.

As their romance blossoms, Hardin must reveal a secret that will threaten their beautiful relationship. Can Tessa accept the truth?

Skip it. Simply put, the overall execution feels devoid of spirit and vigor.

Watch the trailer:

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