How to Train Your Dragon 2 review (reupload)

Does this sequel have what it takes to improve upon its 2010 predecessor, or has this DreamWorks animated film franchise already 'nuked the fridge'? Let’s find out in my review of:

I’d been eagerly waiting for the release of How to Train Your Dragon 2 (HTTYD2 for short) for quite some time, ecstatic to see what Dean DeBlois (the film’s director) and his crew could pull off with the next installment in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, especially considering the fact that DeBlois was taking inspiration from films such as Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back for this movie. I finally got to see the movie for my 16^th birthday, and it was quite the spectacle, with dazzling animation, very convincing voice acting, and rather well-thought-out writing. This is because you can tell that DeBlois put great effort into continuing the story of Hiccup and Toothless without rehashing too many elements from the first film, while at the same time expanding upon the world he created in the previous film. Without further to do, let's dive into what makes this movie a strong example of a sequel done right!

 

Story: HTTYD2 picks up 5 years after the first film, with Vikings and dragons living in harmony together on the island of Berk. Hiccup and his Night Fury Toothless discover an ice cave home to hundreds of new dragons and a mysterious Dragon Rider, which results in the pair getting caught in the schemes of the power-hungry warlord Drago Bludvist. 

Dean DeBlois did an impressive job of juggling the different subplots, such as the development of the relationship between Hiccup and Valka, as well as the testing of the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless. This can be attributed to how the relationships seem quite genuine between the characters thanks to the writing talent of Dean DeBlois as well as the great talent of the cast (especially Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, and Gerard Butler), which leads the audience to sympathize with the characters and their struggles in the film. However, one of my few gripes with the plot is that I think Valka could’ve played a bigger role in the movie’s finale, especially the ending scene. I feel as though the least DeBlois could’ve done was have Valka & her dragon Cloudjumper perched on the left side of Hiccup and Toothless in the film’s final shot (I say left side since Astrid and her dragon Stormfly were on Hiccup & Toothless’ right side). I feel as though this change would make the final scene of HTTYD2 more satisfying, as the most important characters would be together in the same shot. Nonetheless, the story arc about Hiccup growing to accept the responsibility of being chief of Berk is very well executed. Though Hiccup is initially reluctant to take up this role, a shocking turn of events that unfolds 2/3rds into the movie prompts the young dragon rider to accept his responsibility, and thus the story ends quite satisfactorily for our heroes. 

Cast: Jay Baruchel gives an admirable vocal performance as a now 20-year-old Hiccup and, in spite of the 5-year gap (in the movie chronology), Baruchel still imbues the character with the same dorkiness audiences came to enjoy in the first film. This reassures viewers that, despite the year-long gap between films, this is still the same Hiccup that HTTYD fans have come to know and love. However, when the time calls for it, Baruchel proves to have what it takes to inject Hiccup with emotions such as sorrow, anger, and determination at just the right moments in the movie. In addition to Hiccup, his Night Fury Toothless also returns to the big screen for HTTYD2, and the black-scaled dragon is just as lovable here as he was in the previous film. This is seen in that Toothless has several humorous moments throughout the movie, such as when the loyal dragon recreates Hiccup’s map on the ice with a large icicle (in reference to the first film) only for it to get stuck onto Toothless’ tongue! (Warning: spoilers for finale of movie!) However, the Night Fury also has a particularly epic moment in the climax where, just when you think it’s the end for Hiccup and Toothless after the pair is encased in ice by Drago’s Bewilderbeast, Toothless blasts the ice away, and this is shown:

Toothless, after checking to ensure Hiccup is okay, then goes to town on the evil Bewilderbeast, which frees Berk’s dragons from the Bewilderbeast’s control. Toothless then leads the other dragons in finally defeating both Drago and his Bewilderbeast before the villainous pair retreat (the fate of both Drago and his Bewilderbeast is unknown) (End of spoilers). In addition to these 2 lead characters, Cate Blanchett (aka Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) gives one of the film’s strongest performances as Hiccup’s long-lost mother Valka, who also possesses a strong connection with dragons. Blanchett delivers in her performance in that she is able to bring the vulnerability, but also the commanding presence of Valka to life, and thus makes the character a truly welcome addition to the HTTYD roster. Djimon Hounsou, (aka Korath the Pursuer in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy) on the other hand, breathes life into the villainous Drago Bludvist. While Hounsou’s performance and character isn’t on par with, for instance, Mark Hamill as the Joker in the Batman: Arkham Asylum video games or the various shows that comprise the 'DC Animated Universe', Hounsou still manages to imbue Drago with an extremely menacing and commanding presence during the character’s time on screen. In addition, the mystery surrounding Drago’s early life and how he rose to power works to the movie’s advantage, as this makes Drago more enigmatic and, in some ways, unpredictable, as since the audience doesn’t know Drago’s backstory, it’s more difficult to determine what the one-armed barbarian is planning.

Rounding out the cast are actors and actresses such as Gerard Butler (aka King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s 300) as Stoick the Vast, America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson (Hiccup’s now-official girlfriend), and Kit Harrington (aka Jon Snow in the hit TV series Game of Thrones) as the ex-dragon trapper Eret. 

 

Music: While not as surprisingly spectacular as its predecessor, John Powell (returning as composer following his Oscar-nominated work on the first film) still knows how to deliver a grand musical score. For example, in the action sequence where it’s our heroes vs. the army of Drago Bludvist, certain parts of the music from the first film are reprised, but with new twists that are very beneficial for this movie’s soundtrack. In addition, the artist known as Jonsi (who also contributed the song Sticks and Stones to the soundtrack of the previous film) collaborated with Powell in the creation of the song Where No One Goes, which is sung towards the beginning of the movie when audiences are reintroduced to Hiccup and Toothless, as well as in both the ending scene of the movie and the credits. From my perspective, the best part of the song is when the singing temporarily cuts out and an instrument-played version of the franchise's theme music is heard. This part of the song does a great job at reminding viewers that while this film’s story is new, the world that they loved from the previous film has returned, albeit larger and better. Where No One Goes and the standard film score are both great to listen to, and thus I think it’s safe to say that John Powell is certainly due for his Academy Award for Best Original Score!

 

Action/Animation: The action as well as animation in HTTYD 2 is another aspect of this movie that’s a monumental improvement over the previous film. From an opening “Dragon Race” to the many flying sequences to a spectacular battle outside of the massive Arctic dragon nest to a final confrontation between Toothless and Drago's Bewilderbeast, this movie has it all! However, I think that the duels between the good and evil Bewilderbeasts as well as between Stoick and Drago could’ve been a bit longer (e.g., a minute or two), as this change would’ve added a lot to the overall action sequence that’s taking place at that time in the movie. Despite this, the animation is truly something to behold, as the detail put into human & dragon characters alike is top-notch, thanks in part to new advancements in computer animation, but also in part to the animators' attention to detail. This can be seen in the following photo of Astrid in the middle of a "Dragon Race" at the beginning of the film:

This amount of detail put into, for instance, the fur shoulder clothing and hair is quite impressive, especially considering that HTTYD 2 is a 3D-animated film. Another form of animation that has improved since the previous HTTYD film is the facial expressions of characters, with perhaps the best example of this innovation being the scene where Hiccup turns on Toothless in a fit of despair after an alarming change of events during the middle of the film. The work that the animators put into Toothless’ looks of confusion and heartbrokenness make the scene that much more of an (emotional) stab in the heart for viewers, as shown below:

This really shows how advanced animation techniques have become over the years, particularly techniques in computer animation.

In general, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is by far one of the best animated films of 2014, as it’s a movie that will entertain not only kids, but adult viewers as well, with its smart writing, entertaining cast, and dazzling animation and action. It’s truly a film for all ages that’s just as good as its 2010 predecessor, if not better! With that being said, I’m proud to give How to Train Your Dragon 2 an overall score of 9 Night Furies out of 10!