When I heard the Blu-Ray format may be Laserdisc-ed into oblivion by the recession, I couldn't help feeling its future would brighten if potential buyers watched "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" in high-definition.

Guillermo del Toro's films - "Blade 2," "Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth" - have always thrived on imaginative design realized through as few digital effects as possible. In "The Golden Army," it is painstakingly detailed costume design, makeup and physical effects that shape Hellboy's supernatural world into a visual feast. Most filmmakers couldn't introduce as many monsters as del Toro does without blurring them together and desensitizing the audience to the awe they're meant to inspire. But each creature in "The Golden Army" stands alone as a lovingly conceived marvel of moviemaking, and audiences are likely to remember all with equal resolution.

Anchoring all the aesthetic splendor is Ron Perlman as the titular red-skinned lug. His charisma makes Hellboy as ideal a candidate for a personal bodyguard as a slovenly big brother. The brusque hero is balanced out at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense by his self-possessed lover, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), and graceful bookworm, the amphibious Abe Sapien. The rapport between the three finds its finest moment when Sapien and Hellboy split a few six-packs and trade romantic advice between staggers down the Bureau's halls.

Seeing the cherry brilliance of Hellboy's skin and the turquoise lull of Sapien's is a never-ending treat in the Blu-Ray edition of "The Golden Army." Along with del Toro's phenomenal beasts, the heroes of the second "Hellboy" receive a beautiful welcome in high-definition.