Friday, June 13, 2014

How to Train Your Dragon 2 Review

     In 2010, DreamWorks Animation released "How to Train Your Dragon;" based off the hit kids book by the same name, the movie was released to universal acclaim and was a hit at the box office making almost 500 million dollars. Animation is one of my favorite genres of movies, and "How to Train Your Dragon" is easily my favorite; and that's going up against movies like "Frozen," "Tangled," and "Spirited Away." I actually read the book the movie was based off of when I was very young and I loved it; and while the book and the movie have very little in common other than character names and the setting, in my opinion the movie is actually better than the book. Shortly after the first film was released, it was announced that it would be a trilogy. I was nervous at first, since many animated sequels rarely match the quality of the original; but since the first trailer for the sequel, I knew that this was going to be a great film. And as I hoped, I was right.
     Taking place five years after the events of the original, the small island village of Berk has changed quite a bit since then. Once known for killing dragons that attacked their island, they have since befriended them and are part of their everyday life. The young boy Hiccup who learned how to ride the dragons, has since become the pride of the village and has been exploring the world around Berk; but he has different ambitions than what his father has for him. His father Stoick, the village chief, is looking to retire and wants Hiccup to settle down and become the new chief. But Hiccup believes he needs to find out who he truly is, and wants to keep mapping out the world. One day after finding a new piece of land Hiccup and his girlfriend Astrid come upon a fort that has been destroyed and covered in ice. There they meet some dragon trappers who are looking to collect dragons and give them to Drago Bloodvist, a mad man looking to control the world with a dragon army. Afraid that Drago might come for Berk's dragons, Hiccup sets out to reason with him against the advice of his father who had a run-in with Drago years ago. Even though he knows it is dangerous, Hiccup truly believes he can reason with Drago; even if it costs him his life. And along the way, he manages to meet someone he never thought he would. 
     From the opening scene to the closing shot, this movie was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. This is exactly how a sequel should be, and one of the best sequels I've have seen. The first thing you notice when watching this movie is that it is absolutely gorgeous, it's probably the best looking computer generated animated movie I have ever seen. The cinematography is also top notch, with several stunning shots. The movie is also very well written with likable characters; it's funny and has several emotional moments. One of the best aspects of the original was the beautiful soundtrack, and that continues in this one. Featuring influences from the original, it is one of the best original scores you'll hear all year. The movie has some really great storytelling; the plot is well crafted and endearing. Of the few new characters introduced, the standout has to be the villain Drago. He can best be described as menacing, and watching him you really believe that he would let the whole world burn to get what he wants. The movie also has several really incredible action sequences that bring the movie to heights the original didn't even meet. With the first being so good, I was concerned if this one could match it. In reality, this movie is just as good as the original and might be the best animated sequel ever made. Being an animated movie, the target audience would be kids. Fortunately, this is certainly a movie that adults will be able to enjoy just as much as kids will. While my complaints about this movie are few, they are there. One thing that concerns me is that this movie may actually be too intense for some members of the target audience. This movie gets dark, people die; this isn't a movie I would show to a kid younger than about eight. And with the movie being so intense at times, it's not quite as fun as the original was. The original was a light hearted movie that the entire family could enjoy; but this movie gets dark on more than one occasion. So if you are planning to see this with some young family members or something, take that into mind. From start to finish, this movie was nothing short of incredible. Minus some personal gripes, it does just about everything right an animated movie should do. If you were a fan of the first one, I have no doubts you will love this one as well. With the third film scheduled to be released in 2016, I can hardly wait. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is a gem; it's not just the best animated movie I've seen in the past few years, I would rank it along side some of the greatest animated movies of all time. 

Pros: Gorgeous animation, stunning cinematography, very funny, well written, likable characters, beautiful score, menacing villain, awesome action sequences, enjoyable for kids and adults, several emotional moments, just as good as the original, one of the best animated films in years. 
Cons: May be too intense for little kids, not quite as fun as the original.

5/5 Stars

No comments:

Post a Comment