I think I went into the film with too high of expectations. I don't want to say I hate the film, because it did keep me entertained. However, the film was seriously lacking in several key areas. The film, for one, had too much of a "Men in Black" feel to it; especially during the beginning as the characters were walking through their compound. I also got a bit of a "Harry Potter" vibe as Abe and Hellboy walked through the Troll's Market.
Characterization was a serious problem in the film. The character of Jeffrey Tambor was too much of a pussy in this film. He just seems like a different person. The robot ghost man was just over the top; something probably to get the super nerds laughing in that giddy, jackass he-haw they do. He was not needed in the film and, I believe, actually distracted from the story.
The antagonist of the film was not a true antagonist. Del Torro didn't give enough motive for Hellboy to take the actions he took during the film. The film seemed flat and uninteresting, and had little buildup to the fight scenes between the characters. They seemed like speed bumps on the way to some unsaid goal of the film.
The most serious problem of the film was the interaction of the story lines. There was not enough focus on any of the four main lines. We had the pregnancy issue, the Abe love story, the bad guy army, and the public's knowledge of Hellboy. It was just too much. There was not enough room for any of the stories to grow as they were all suffocating each other. It was a complete mess.
Del Torro obviously has an eye for detail and a love of film, but he is letting his passion for the visual get in the way of true storytelling. And, like it or not, film is about storytelling. Without it, we would just be looking at pretty pictures. I hope he can concentrate on the story for the "Hobbit." Otherwise the entire enterprise might crash and burn.