How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Review
(Photo from DreamWorks Studios)
5 years after the events of the first instalment, How to Train Your Dragon 2 sees Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless return with an even stronger bond, along with a few fancy aerial manoeuvres.
“We’ve really got to work on your solo gliding there, bud,” says Hiccup after a crash landing. The now stubbly Viking has given himself wings and a fin, so he too can soar through the air.
Hiccup is keeping himself busy finding new lands, so he doesn’t have to face the responsibility waiting for him back at home. His father (Gerard Butler) is looking to pass on the mantle of village chieftain, but everything is brought to a halt when they are threatened by a new group of dragon riders.
Impressively, the relevance of the ‘How to Train’ in the film’s title is never forgotten as Hiccup continues to learn more about his dragon, thanks to the help of his long-lost mother (Cate Blanchett). It will be even more commendable if they manage to keep this up in the third of the trilogy, set for release in 2016.
This carefully made animation draws out every emotion, and John Powell’s mellifluous score from the first HTTYD (minus the Celtic twang) makes perfectly sure that every hair is stood upright.
It might be asking too much to better the originality of the first film, but the depth and sheer number of moral messages in this sequel promotes an overwhelming sense of quality throughout. DreamWorks finally has something it can hold up to Pixar and say: “Take that”.
Chris Edwards - CynicalCME
