How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

When I went to see "How to Train Your Dragon 2", I felt that I did not relax enough and was being too critical. Subsequent viewings showed me how good that film is and I wanted to sit back and enjoy "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World". I was grateful that filmmakers make the same good choices as last time in terms of story and visual splendor. There were flaws but most of them couldn't be helped. Most of the time when you create a sequel, you unfortunately lose a bit of originality.

We get to see what has happened to Berk in the year that passed since Hiccup became chief. The overcrowded state of the place did seem a little bit of a downer when compared to the condition of the settlement at the start and the end of the second film. That was the kind of Berk that made us cheer. The overpopulated nature at the start of "The Hidden World" was a plot point of course but I would have liked to start things off a slightly more appealing note. For this third full-length adventure, a maniacal villain is replace by a conniving one. Drago Bludvist used power and fury to get what he wanted but Grimmel's greatest asset is his intelligence. Grimmel feels like a kindred spirit to Shere Khan from Disney's "The Jungle Book". The thing that Grimmel and Drago have in common is that they are both absolutely sure they will win. Throughout "The Hidden World", Grimmel and Hiccup engage each other in a battle of wits like Holmes and Moriarty. Both sneak in to each others home and both find themselves in an ambush set by the other. This is concluded by a successful escape. The fate of Grimmel is much like his predecessor because there is some uncertainty as to what exactly happened to him. The filmmakers it seems had trouble in this aspect throughout the franchise. The truth is that Drago was meant to return in a third "Dragons" movie but Steven Spielberg felt that the story the filmmakers were initially developing couldn't fit in a single, concluding film. One worry I had with "The Hidden World" was the role of Eret in the story. He wasn't the strongest character introduced in the second film by far but thankfully, in the third film, he didn't interfere with the story or feel completely unnecessary. I enjoyed the subplot of Hiccup and Astrid's love because while their relationship is not in danger, they don't feel ready to get married and this fear of progression allows for character building. For the members of the audience however, this is a realistic portrayal of the uncertainty that engaged couples go through. One of the most amazing parts of the story of "The Hidden World" were the flashbacks of Stoick and little Hiccup. All these scenes were masterful examples of filmmaking, let alone animation. The scene with Stoick and Hiccup in their home late at night provides so much valuable subtext to the original film. After the climax, the diminuendo is quite dramatic and resolving. I love how there is a reference to the scene in the original film where Hiccup and Toothless first make a bond with each other. Its bookend in the third film is very hard to watch. We also get an epilogue that makes up for the bittersweet conclusion. This ending however is an attempt to be true to the original source material. Every "How to Train Your Dragon" film has at least one visually stunning scene. Some movies try to be stunning through the whole running time like "Avatar" and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and as a result, the story suffers. This franchise thankfully has a few scenes here & there that are pleasing to the eye and their purpose is to move the story forward. We are able to appreciate these scenes because they aren't the focus of the movie.

Once again, the returning cast members deserve recognition for how well they reprised their roles but I would like to single out a few noteworthy examples. Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham gave quite the vocal performance to create a worthy adversary for Hiccup. I first saw him act thanks to a cameo in "Muppets from Space" but I also remember him in "Finding Forrester". The best performance in the whole movie actually goes to Gerald Butler. I again refer to the scene between Stoick and young Hiccup in their home because Butler's voice acting almost made me cry. Not all of the acting in this film was great because T.J. Miller's absence had a negative effect on the entertainment value of the whole show. To be clear, that is the fault of the actor alone because Miller became embroiled in controversy during the production of this show. I insist though that every line that Tuffnut has in this movie would have sounded golden with Miller's voice so it is a tragic aspect of this film.

If this is the concluding film of this franchise, it will result in one of the most well made animated trilogies ever. Just as the original film had to go up against "Toy Story 3" at the Oscars, "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" will go head to head with "Toy Story 4" next awards season. The flaws of this third film could be overlooked and most every sequel suffers from a loss of originality but the returning filmmakers made all the right choices that they have in the past. They told a great story with drama and complimented it with a few scenes that looked amazing visually. I don't really want a fourth film because I believe this to be the greatest third movie that DreamWorks Animation has ever made. I would hate to have something so successful and entertaining make the same mistakes that the Shrek franchise did.

4 Stars out of 5