How to Train Your Dragon 2

I made the mistake of trying to predict the story as I watched "How to Train Your Dragon 2". I should have just sat back and enjoyed the ride instead of trying to anticipate a big plot twist. The sequel may not be as good as the first film but few sequels are. The film's good characteristics must not be overlooked. Director Dean DeBlois wanted to expand the universe introduced in the first film and this makes sense because the citizens of Berk are no longer confined to their town. The story was the focus of this sequel and I was very happy about that.

When I saw the first trailer for this movie, I had trouble accepting the new Hiccup. I know that five years have passed since the original story but still, how did Frankie Muniz suddenly turn into Bradley Cooper? On the first film, Hiccup's physicality made him a great underdog. I am betting that underneath his new outfit with the broad shoulders in this sequel, he still is scrawny and the reason he has no wardrobe change in the show is an attempt to make him manlier. The more I saw the first movie, the more I could relate to Hiccup because I was that way when I was 15. When I turned 20, I didn't suddenly become a stud with a new masculine jaw. Additionally, the other young characters were not aged as much as Hiccup was. For example, Astrid seems to have been aged only three years at the most. I personally think that the film should have taken place three years in the future instead of five. At first, I missed the awkward Hiccup from the first movie because that allowed for some great comedy but on the other hand, this is where five years of maturing would conceivably eliminate that. Another part of "How to Train Your Dragon 2" that bothered me was Huccup's gadgets and inventions. They feel out of place in a Viking world, especially the handle of the flaming sword. Additionally, most of the new characters were not as strong as the recurring ones. Eret felt out of place except when Ruffnut was in the same scenes. Also, Drago could have been an amazing villain if he had been introduced a little better. I felt he got too little screen time but maybe this couldn't be helped. It was more important to get to know Valka after all. One thing the filmmakers could have done with Drago was to make him more visible in Stoick's flashback. Instead, we never saw his face and his voice was also a little concealed. I have said before that a hero is only as great as the villain. Darth Vader and Sauron were introduced in their franchises even before their corresponding heroes. I think Stoick's flashback should have been the opening scene, like a prologue. Despite all these flaws, it is important to note that they don't matter all that much after multiple viewings. Sometimes the flaws overshadow the excellence of a movie but not this time. The movie gets better over time.

Because the story was well created, I enjoyed the movie as a whole. I will leave most of what is great about "How to Train Your Dragon 2" for the reader to discover but I will mention a few things here. First of all, the relationship between Hiccup and Astrid was believable. Not too many dating relationships in today's society last as long as five years but if they did, I bet they would be a lot like the first scene between Hiccup and Astrid. They act more like best friends instead of boyfriend & girlfriend but I believe that is realistic. Long lasting relationships have that strong foundation of friendship. The first movie was about Hiccup trying to prove himself to his village and to himself. He was also trying to create an identity. These trials were resolved by means of Toothless so one might ask why in the sequel was Hiccup still uncertain about who he was. I believe that Hiccup was actually just going through what real guys go through at his age. He is about to take on more responsibility and is uncertain about his ability to do so. Hiccup doesn't think he can be the new chief but what he comes to understand in the end is that he doesn't have to become just like his father; he can be his own man. This theme is very relatable. I dislike it when filmmakers revoke an established fact from the original film in order to tell a story in the new movie but having said that, it was never spelt out that Hiccup's mother was dead for certain. Director Dean DeBlois created some great scenes in this film that allow us to warm up to Valka (unfortunately at the expense of Drago's introduction). I was also impressed with the dramatic and intense moments seen throughout this movie. For a second, I thought that the film was going to end unresolved and we would have to wait until the third film to see if Hiccup rescues Toothless.

All of the retuning cast members reprised their roles very well but I am betting that the TV show made it easier for them. Cate Blanchett's voice fit the appearance of her character just as America Ferrera's did for Astrid on the original film. The last movie of Djimon Hounsou's I saw was "Gladiator" and his performance was able to somewhat make up for the lack of his character's introduction. John Powell's musical score was well created but as with most music heard in sequels, it doesn't have that freshness that the original score was able to take advantage of. One characteristic of the film I noticed as I watched was the advancement in animation, especially facial animation. New animation software and programs were introduced in this film and it shows. Many of the original filmmakers returned to create this show. The reason why Chris Sanders is just the executive producer is that he was busy making "The Croods". I can only wonder if more involvement from him would have made a difference.

It took about three viewings for me to fully grasp the value of "How to Train Your Dragon" and the same was the case for "How to Train Your Dragon 2". It is enjoyable every time and that is a relief. The story was great; I should have taken a more passive approach in watching it the first time. I am happy that the good qualities of this show are such that the negative qualities can be overlooked and it pleased me when the movie won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film. It also did well at the Annies and I was also confident that this film was also going to win the Oscar. This led to the biggest surprise of Oscar night when "Big Hero 6" won Best Animated Film instead. I like that movie just as much by the way. DreamWorks Animation has had bad luck in trying to win in this catagory. Whenever DreamWorks has come out with a Oscar worthy movie such as "Shrek 2", "Kung Fu Panda" or the first "How To Train Your Dragon", another studio (usually Pixar) releases a more worth opponent. Whenever we go to see a sequel, we want the same experience as last time but we also desire a somewhat different adventure. Because this is DreamWorks we are talking about, I was concerned about a third film in the franchise. They screwed up the "Shrek" franchise starting with the third film and I was worried that the same could happen with "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World". I did see that there was some hope considering that the "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda" franchises didn't failed critically after three films each. The original filmmakers of "Dragon" stuck around to make the third installment and DeBlois would not have made the second movie if he could not make a third. The result was the best third film that DreamWorks has ever made.

4 Stars out of 5