How To Train Your Dragon 2 Review
I'm making up for two spectacularly delayed reviews with an early one. You're welcome, I guess? Anyway, here are my mini-reviews for Edge of Tomorrow and The Fault In Our Stars
Edge Of Tomorrow: A wickedly inventive and utterly engrossing blockbuster, boosted by excellent performances from Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton. Whilst it crawls up into the foetal position in the final act, this feels like a complete rebirth for summer cinema. 4/5
The Fault In Our Stars: Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort recover from the abysmal Divergent to provide stand-out performances in this melodramatic but effective teen romance. 3/5
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Dreamworks Animation have been on something resembling fire as of late. In Kung Fu Panda 1/2, Monsters vs Aliens, How To Train Your Dragon and Megamind, they have created some of the greatest CG animated features of the century. Now, with the follow-up to their 2010 masterpiece, they have produced a sequel worthy of a Night Fury. And your kids, just mind the fire!
The sequel takes place five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. The now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the centre of a battle to protect the peace. The conflict puts pressure not only on Hiccup (a Jay Baruchel) and his father Stoick (Gerard Butler - whose opposing views add an impressive thematic depth), but Toothless also. When a new threat comes in a disfigured from of Drago Bloodfist (Djimon Hounsou)
Director Dean DeBlois has assembled a fantastic ensemble cast to give life to his rich, layered characters. Jay Baruchel is at his likable best as the newly grown-up Hiccup, as well as selling the emotional scenes with aplomb. Gerard Butler discovers emotion and manages to inflect it into his voice (a bizarre concept, I know). Hiccup's team of dragon riders, including Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, all do their best with somewhat underwritten roles. Djimon Honsou and Kit Harington provide great support as suprisingly complex villains. The standout, however, is Cate Blanchett as a Princess Mononoke-style environmentalist dragon rider with a shocking (if you haven't seen the trailers) past.
The animation, as you might expect, is truly breathtaking. DeBlois and his artists have crafted jaw-dropping vistas and intricate character designs with expert skill. The care taken on the art is just as evident in DeBlois' screenplay. He develops each character with such aplomb and grace, the lack of an Oscar nomination would be sinful. Most impressive is his handling of Hiccup and Toothless' relationship, with one hell of a second-act hammerblow. Whilst the cause of the twist is a little too convenient, the places it takes both characters is not only brave, but unheard of in a family movie.
As is the nature of the flying beast, not everything works. A subplot of Fishlegs and Snotlout vying for Tuffnut's affections. It's as unnecessary as the RoboCop reboot, it's exactly as interesting. As in, not. As mentioned earlier, the villains are very one note.Whilst Drago gets by on being the strangest animated character since Jack Skellington, Eret crumbles under the weight of uselessness.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 is one of the most pleasant and surprising pleasant surprises in recent memory. With beautiful animation, fascinating characters and a thematically deep narrative, Dreamworks have created an incredible animation that truly *ahem* soars...
Five-Word Review: How To Make A Sequel
Rating: 4/5
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