How To Train Your Dragon 2

I was a fan of the first How To Train Your Dragon. It's one of the few animated movies I own on Blu-ray. It was a fantastic "A boy and his dog" stories with a dragon substituting for the dog. Without getting too into it, the only real problem I had with HTTYD was the last 15-20 minutes of it. The reason being was it didn't really have that heart-breaking moment most "A boy and his dog" movies have, and the ending came too easily. What took Hiccup several days, or even weeks, to do the first time, he's able to not only do a second time in just minutes, but teach 5 other kids how to do it as well in that same amount of time. Then the ending with all the dragons felt a tad too easy. These weren't enough for me to knock the film too much. The rest of the movie was just far too strong for this to be a deal breaker. But I'm just not a fan of having things come together instantaneously like that. 

Anyway, I've wasted too much time on the first movie as it is. For How To Train Your Dragon 2, it's clearly obvious the movie is aimed at a more mature audience. Taking place 5 years after the original, Hiccup and the others have visually matured. They've even grown some facial stubble to go along.


Much like the first movie, the animation is stunning. Some of the movie's most beautiful moments are the flying sequences, which I kind of wish I saw in 3D. The world building in this movie takes things a step further than the last. Hiccup is exploring much farther than he did in the first movie and it leads to some amazing landscapes. The color palette is vibrant and the new dragon designs are really creative. While it's not really a big complaint, the first movie didn't have a ton of variety on the dragons that were actually seen on screen. HTTYD2 doesn't go into detail about all the different dragons that are flying around as the first one did, but it really doesn't need to.


The love interest subplot could hardly be called one. Yes, Hiccup is still with the love interest in the first movie. Luckily, there's no conflict or drama between the two of them. There's no need to retread that. Also, the simple fact that they've been together for five years would be enough reason to accept that they have worked out a lot of their differences. Instead, we're treated to a little bit of them acting like a couple who loves each other for a couple scenes. Instead of the love interested angle, we're treated to a much more powerful bond: mother and son. Some aspects do seem a little too easy and convenient. Luckily it's emotionally poignant enough to overcome that.


Hiccup is still the main focus of the story, but it's not just about him and Toothless. It is a coming-of-age time for Hiccup. But one thing that comes along with finding who you are is knowing where you come from. Before now, he's only had one side of his history. Some of the best scenes are when Hiccup takes a backseat to his parents, Stoik and Valda (voiced by Gerard Butler and Cate Blanchet), reuniting. Even when all Hiccup is doing is watching and reacting, we're seeing him grow.


Unlike the first movie, HTTYD2 has a villain. The first movie had a final boss. While that's all fun and cool, having a villain creates urgency. Drago (voiced by Djimon Hounsou) is intimidating. From the rough voice that rivals Stoik in amount of razor blades swallowed, to the ruthless nature and lack of empathy. He makes it clear that he is not to be messed with. Unfortunately, that's as deep as he gets. While Drago is intimidating, he's not compelling. Please, you can't just say that a crazy person can't be reasoned with when you can't give a proper reason on why that character does what he/she does. They do explain, but with everything shown throughout both movies, it's just so flimsy that I can't really buy it. It weakens the villain's character.


One thing I am thankful for with this villain is what he does at the end of the second act. While the first movie's idea of heart-breaking was losing a limb, HTTYD2 doesn't hold back. It makes the "tragedy" of the first film pale in comparison. And most importantly, it serves to move the plot forward and develop several characters. It's not just doing it for the sake of yanking tears.


Without question, the ending to HTTYD2 feels more organic than the first. It's still pushing the convenience factor a tad, but it's not anywhere near cheap. What I liked was it's not the typical "climatic boss fight" at the end of a lot of movies now. The climax is a character moment, and it works. It's a nice cap on a very pleasing movie.


Despite its shortcomings, HTTYD2 has matured quite a bit from the first film. I love it when films that start out for kids have sequels that allow the audience to grow with the movie. If the first film is the Sorcerer's Stone, then this is Prisoner of Azkaban. I just hope the next movie isn't Goblet of Fire.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.