First of all, the Hellboy comics are not “R rated,” I mean, come on. That said I did appreciate the “eff it” punk rock approach here. Also, there are some more elements here that aren’t in the Del Toro films. I’ll give it that.
The larger discussion is Neil Marshall. When it comes to small-arena horror in say, Dog Soldiers or The Descent which take place in smaller settings, he’s incredible. But as soon as you increase the scope with say, Lost In Space, or any other movies he’s done, he really starts to show his weaknesses, and in two areas in particular: music and comedic editing. His go-to for raucous action-gore always seems to be some cheesy, royalty-free-sounding rock guitar, and the editing on even the smallest gags are literal studies in mis-timing. I’m not sure if these are even things that can be taught. For crafting two of my favorite horror films of all time, I wish Neil the very best. But if he doesn’t take a serious look at these fallbacks, I fear he’s doomed to become the next Les Wiseman. Here’s hoping.