How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
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Review #1,045 |
THE SCOOP
Director: Dean DeBlois
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera
Plot: When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
Genre: Animation / Action / Adventure
Awards: Nom. for 1 Oscar - Best Animated Feature
Runtime: 102min
Rating: PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
“You have the
heart of a chief. And the soul of a
dragon.”
Dragons are to be tamed, not
slayed. Here they are also hypnotized,
and as you will see, it can be frightening to see them under the control of an
evil spell. Dean DeBlois is back in the
director's hot seat for the anticipated sequel to How to Train Your Dragon (2010), one of that year's best animated
features.
It retains the joyful and playful tone
of the first one, but it is less wildly exhilarating. However, it is still a tight and energetic
work that will delight the kids, and possibly, their parents. I would compare the experience of seeing part
two to taking the same rollercoaster ride the second time – it feels familiar,
but maybe less thrilling. In essence,
this is a sequel that does what it should do, and no more.
The story centers on Hiccup who is now
next-in-line to be the chief, and as stubborn as he is, wants to convince a
madman in a faraway island to not start a war with his dragon army. Along the way, themes of family, loyalty and
sacrifice are played out, sometimes unexpectedly.
There's a healthy mix of drama and
comedy, and as far as animated films are concerned, How to Train Your Dragon 2 at the very least focuses on story and
character first, with spectacle filling in later. It is consistently funny, sometimes trying
too hard like, for example, the recurring trope involving a woman having a
desperate crush on a guy with muscles.
Toothless, the dragon everyone wants
to see, has a good amount of screen time, though in part two, it is no more
about taming the dragon (which in all seriousness provides the kind of drama
and wonder that lifts the first installment above its sequel), but testing the
dragon, or more specifically, putting the relationship between Hiccup and
Toothless to the sword.
Once again, the movie benefits from
the rousing score by John Powell, who rearranges his themes to fit a slightly
different mood. If the first film
offered the novelty of experiencing the feeling of discovery which Powell so
wondrously conveyed through music, the score for this one provides a
familiarity that powers the modest second chapter.
How to Train
Your Dragon 2
is lively, fun and promises a satisfactory blast at the theaters. Whether it will secure an Oscar nomination
for Best Animated Feature for 2014 remains an uncertainty that only the folks
at Dreamworks Animation should worry about.
In any case, expect a solid opening weekend for this.
Verdict: Less a wildly exhilarating romp that was the first installment, the sequel is modest and familiar.
GRADE: B
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