Truth be told, I’m a big sucker for the first Dragon movie. While that film featured some stunning animation and many moments of chuckle inducing humor, the magic came from the connection between the boy and his dragon. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless formed a genuine bond and you didn’t have to be an animal lover (I’m not, really) to have an emotional reaction to the sequences where the two learned to trust and love each other. You just had to be human.
With that bond already established, How to Train Your Dragon 2 focuses on human connections and the results are nearly just as powerful. Hiccup, now a 20 year old man-child on the cusp of adulthood, discovers his long lost mother (Cate Blanchett) and must try to salvage a relationship. He also has to come to terms with becoming chief of his tiny, little Viking village of Berk. A destiny that he wants to have nothing with. These are the conflicts that, again, transform this movie into something unique when compared to the Disney Princess flicks or the Pixar sequel machine. There are quite moments that give the film weight. I especially like an early scene between Hiccup and his special lady friend, Astrid (America Ferrera), as they discuss the future. The scene is simply well acted and you believe the interaction between the two as if they were two real people in front of you talking about what they were going to do for the rest of their lives.
But what I found to be the story’s biggest attribute may also be Dragon 2’s biggest flaw. (Sorry, that wasn’t supposed to sound like a riddle). As the movie takes many pauses from the killer dragon action to actually focus on character, it inevitably slows things down and will most likely lose the little ones that are to make up a good chunk of the audience. Kids under ten may struggle to care. There are also some heavy moments that I will not spoil that may be too intense for the fragile and innocent. Another way to say it: Dragon 2 is a kid’s movie that isn’t really that well geared for kids.
But I loved it. Aside from the drama, there is plenty of awesome dragon flight footage that looks utterly stunning in 3D. Chills stinging through your legs type stunning. There are images that would make some amazing Frank Frazetta paintings and I truly hope that Mondo makes a worthy poster. I’ll pay the big bucks.
See this in IMAX! See this in 3D!
The action is high caliber and staged on a grand scale. The animation is a perfect mix of cartoon and photo-realism: the characters look like something you’d find a toddler’s tee shirt will the backgrounds look like something tangible you could touch. There is a new baddie introduced named Drago (Djimon Hounsou) who snarls fine but doesn’t add much. The supporting cast is stuffed with funny people who have little to contribute but a sporadic laugh. Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller return but must have recorded their portion in a single day. Seems like a waste of talent.
While the pace may lag in fits and starts, there are plenty of moments of exhilaration to make up for it.