HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
JUNE 23, 2014

“How To Train Your Dragon 2” is a sequel with gravitas. There is a weight to the characters and their situations that build off the first film almost perfectly. Director Dean DeBlois and his writers recognize what makes a franchise special, by raising the stakes and injecting new life into not just the original characters, but into the specially branded new characters as well. Returning with the rest of the original voice cast, Jay Baruchel picks up where he left off with Hiccup, now in his twenties and venturing into the great unknown with his dragon companion, the only Toothless. Avoiding the responsibility of becoming the chief of the island of Berk, he sets out to create a map of the undiscovered lands surrounding them with his girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera) by his side. That is until they stumble upon dragon hunters and eventually a dragon sanctuary run by a mysterious Dragon Rider.

If you have not watched the trailer and know nothing about this film, then this could potentially be a spoiler, but in this sequel, Hiccup meets his mother, Valka (Cate Blanchett), the aforementioned Dragon Rider who was presumed killed twenty years ago during a dragon raid. Crossing paths with her amid a pending war started by the dragon hating Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou), he and his mother must band together with the ice breathing Alpha Dragon to face off with Drago’s alpha, Bewilderbeast. Whereas “How To Train Your Dragon” was about the blossoming connection between Hiccup and Toothless, and Vikings and dragons, this sequel is about the connections between the Vikings themselves. Drago wants to control the dragons while Hiccup wants them to be free, creating an entirely different atmosphere from the original film which took the human versus nature approach. Drago is a formidable villain with a distinct look that rivals any of the visual stylings of Disney’s villains. Along with some upgrades to Toothless, this second film is as refreshing as sequels get these days.

The odds appear impossible throughout most of the film and with so much more at stake this time around, the emotions run high. The writers even go as far as to allow a major causality that ends up leaving an extremely lasting impression. Personally, ever since “The Avengers” killed Agent Coulson as the driving force for the superhero faction to band together, it feels like every heroic film has been following suit in killing off a major character to drive the main protagonist towards victory. In this particular case, it felt somewhat misused and sticking a dagger in the audience’s hearts at one of the most hopeful moments, simply to get a rise. Losing his foot, as in the finale of the first film, is one thing, but taking a character’s life is an entirely different beast when it comes to children’s entertainment. As dark as it may get, the humor is still present and the driving force of the film remains hopeful. With positive relationships throughout including one of the best young adult relationships ever in an animated film, between Hiccup and Astrid, and a visual presence that continues to push the bar (with visual consultant Roger Deakins), I do look forward to what this franchise produces next.