“Something is coming. Something you’ve never faced before.” – Valka
Swift shot: A sequel worth your time. How to Train Your Dragon 2 had a lot of heart and provided some laughs for the kiddies. The aerial effects were one terrific ride, especially in IMAX 3D! Director Dean DeBlois took risky emotional swoops and climbs in what could easily have been a summer kid’s movie that splattered on the side of an ice-capped mountain. Yet, this film had a genuine originality to it that I think most parents will enjoy.
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is back as the narrator of Berk, and while everyone else is back home enjoying sheep races, he is out playing cartographer now that he has harnessed the power of flight. He always assumed that he was the first Viking to claim dominion over the dragons, but he was wrong. There is another.
His father, Stoick (Gerard Butler) wants only for his son to be the next chief of the village, and he is fairly certain that Hiccup will wed Astrid (America Ferrara). Thing is, Hiccup and his night fury dragon, Toothless are having far too much fun exploring the new world. And, unlike Simba . . . Hiccup can certainly “wait to be king.” In fact, he wants no part of it!
On one fateful mapping adventure, he comes across dragon trappers, led by Eret (Kit Harington) who knows nothing and is in turn following the orders of a mysterious hooded menace called Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou). Needless to say, with a name like that he is the film’s bad guy! As far as villains go, Drago could chew the animated universe with some Disney baddies. He is twisted by a horror that befell him as a young man. Drago is the perfect contrast to the light-hearted Hiccup who has developed a kinship with the dragons of Berk incorporating them into everyone’s daily lives.
Another mysterious character, Valka (Cate Blanchett) adds a familiar element to the story, as she too has developed a balance with the dragons. But all the dragons are dogmatically obedient to their alpha. They are animals, and humans only hold so much sway over beasts. I felt there was some message being delivered, but the best I could take from it was that humans and beasts can co-exist, but there must always be a level of lethal respect from each.
The writing kept me entertained, and some of the gags with dragons behaving like dogs got more laughs from the kids than folks with the long teeth. Still, this is a kid’s movie . . . but there will be a moment that will get to your little dragon riders. It’s the truth that all creatures die, and be prepared to have a discussion afterwards about mortality. I won’t give anything away, but I will say, when it happens . . . you will be waiting for them to miracle in a save, Marvel style, and keep this character from peril.
If you like a bit of darkness in your kid’s films, this one is for you. If you are looking for a breezy popcorn-muncher to sit back and enjoy the ride, I am not sure How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the right fit. But, I will guarantee that it will keep you entertained throughout . . . especially if you avoid trailers that give away way too much!
The movie was awesome. But the dying part, it was so sad. I liked when Toothless was rescuing his dragon rider, and he had blue on the top. I liked the whole movie, and the blue part, but not the dying part.
