Reelworm Speaks!- How to Train Your Dragon 2

Reelworm Speaks!

How to Train Your Dragon 2

by Dreamworks Studios

****

Note: The Worm has not seen the first How to Train Your Dragon Movie nor has he read the original books, so this film will be judged on a stand alone basis.

The Story: How to Train Your Dragon 2 continues the adventures of the Hiccup the Viking and his Night Fury Dragon, Toothless. Five years have passed since the last film and now dragons and Vikings live and work together on the island of Berk. Hiccup and Toothless are now exploring the regions beyond their island home, but a dark villain is hunting the dragons and poses grave threat to Hiccup and his home.  

The Good: Dreamworks, once upon a time, was merely considered to be the awkward step-brother compared to Pixar but in recent years it has really come into its own as animation powerhouse. HTTYD 2 is proof of this: The animation is absolutely superb. 

A common criticism of early computer generated animations was the depictions of humans and sometimes animals. The technology had not yet reached a point where they could be rendered effectively, and they ran into uncanny valley scenarios. The uncanny valley is a phenomena where the closer something resembles a human, instead of becoming attractive, it appears creepy and unnatural. Indeed, the humans depicted in Toy Story looked flat and dead eyed and the toy’s looked more lifelike. In later CG films, the move was made to make human characters more cartoonish than realistic, so they would be more appealing. HTTYD2 pulls this off very well with both the human as well as the dragon characters. They all look good and have a lot of personality. The environment’s are where the animator’s skill really show. The sea and the clouds, and the more intimate settings are as colorful and realistic as the characters and also have a lot of personality.  

Overall this film is big. The setting is just gigantic. The stunning vistas, the giant monsters, the film is epic in scale. It was with it to see the film in the theatre. If it is ever rereleased on the big screen, viewers should definitely take the chance. That same has been said for the first film as well.

Even though he never says a word, Toothless has a ton of personality, by his expressions and body language alone. The heart of this movie is the relationship between Toothless and Hiccup. It is incredibly clear that they care deeply for one another and their bond goes far deeper than that of simply Master and Pet. Perhaps a good plot element for the third film will be how to work out the relationships between Toothless, Hiccup and Astrid, as they are both loved by Hiccup. 

On a final note: the movies theme song, Jonsi’s Where No One Goes, is absolutely perfect. When Hiccup and Toothless are soaring across the sea and through the clouds, it just perfectly matches the feeling of wonder and the excitement. It makes anyone who sees yearn to fly through the air on a pair of wings. 

The Flaws: The designs of the dragons are very hit and miss. Some like Toothless and the Bewilderbeast are cool, some like the ones the minor characters fly are just ugly and some would go as far to say too cartoony for their own good. 

Some plot elements are really unnecessary. The love triangle among some of hiccups friends is quite tiring at times and just annoying. Some of the characters too are kind of annoying and the fact that Reelworm cannot recall their names should be proof enough over how he doesn't really care for them. 

Final Verdict: 

Five out of Five Stars 

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