How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

the audience applauded

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Hi everyone. This is gavin.thelordofthefuture and today's the 2nd of March which means that the third and final installment of the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy will be out in one more year. So, I'm going to review this second installment that came out almost four years ago.After the success of the original film in 2010, DreamWorks started production on the sequel. Dean DeBlois, who directed the first film with Chris Sanders, revisited the films from his childhood, My Neighbor Totoro and The Empire Strikes Back as inspirations for the film to focus on the scope, the characters, and the fun. The original voice cast including Jay Baruchel, gerald Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig returned fo the sequel along with three new additions like Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, and Kit Harrington from Game of Thrones. Then, after finishing the design and look of the film itself, it came out to theaters and was met with critical acclaim, with praise for it's animation, voice work, action sequences, John Powell's musical score, emotional depth for the characters, and the more darker and serious tone compared to the first film. So, having loved the original, this sequel blew away my expecations and is the best animated sequel from DreamWorks since Shrek 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Madagascar 3.How To Train Your Dragon 2 shows Hiccup trying to take responsibility when he becomes the chief of Berk. Suddenly, a threat occurs when the new villain named Drago Bludvist sets to conquer the world and it's up to him and the other dragon riders, along with Hiccup's long lost mother, Valka, to save it.This film is a reminder of a second installment done right. It reminds me of Kung Fu Panda 2, also a great sequel to the original film, which I also loved as well. Because not only does it provide a compelling story with breathtaking flying moments that are as good as the original film, excellent action sequences and emotional moments (the flashback of Valka being taken by the dragons, the reunion of Stoick and Valka, the death of Stoick (SPOILER ALERT to those who haven't seen the film yet), Hiccup's attempts to free Toothless from the Bewilderbeast's control with the power of compassion and friendship) but it does a great job in expanding on the original film by making the new characters and villain have a connection to how the war between the Vikings and Dragons started. The new characters are great. Valka (voiced by Lady Galadriel-I mean Cate Blanchett) is a female side character done really well because of her relationship with Hiccup and their perspectives on how to create peace for all the dragons and vikings of Berk. Eret, the dragon trapper and working for Drago Bludvist, is really entertaining and while having some menacing moments, he also has some hilarious moments. And last, but not least, Drago Bludvist. Some people considered him to be a generic villain wanting to conquer the world, but to me, he's one of DreamWorks Animation's best villains since Rameses, Tai Lung, and Lord Shen. The reason why his connection to how the war between Vikings and Dragons started make sense is because his people were slaughtered by dragons is what drives him to use dragons to bring fear to other people.That being said, the rest of the film maintains the same strengths that the original film had. Hiccup continues to be relatable due to his struggles by trying to take responsibility as chief of Berk and his relationships with Toothless, Astrid, Stoick, and Valka are beautifully written. The other dragon riders Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut weren't given as much screentime, I'll admit, but they contributed a little bit more to the plot while still providing some great humor particularly with Ruffnut, whose expressions when encountering Eret became really hilarious. Stoick, whose stubborness changed after the end of the original film, is still a great chief and shared his emotional moments with Valka perfectly while Gobber is still a funny side character. The animation continues to be beautiful from the landscapes, the even more unique character animations and movements and expressions so beautiful. And last but not least, the music score from John Powell and he did a great job. He reprises the themes from the first film while introducing new themes for the new characters, but not only that. It retains the scottish tone and provides some really strong action music writing while also being as epic, dramatic, haunting, and emotional as ever.Overall, How To Train Your Dragon 2 not only managed to be as good as the original film, but reached the mature heights for DreamWorks Animation since The Prince of Egypt. I cannot wait for How To Train Your Dragon 3! Solid recommendation to fans! :)

If you haven't seen 'How To Train Your Dragon', you really should - it's a great animated film, not just for kids, with plenty of fun, a great cast, good story and it's brilliant to watch. This sequel does a rare thing - it is even more enjoyable than the original! The cast are all back again, but more importantly, so are the animators. I'm not sure how, but the detail, colours, movements and everything in this film are so vivid, it's truly astounding to watch.The story is relatively simple - someone's making a dragon army to conquer the free Vikings, so it's up to Hiccup (Baruchel) & Stoick (Butler) to save them. The twist comes with the introduction of Valka (Blanchett) and the dragon sanctuary she has created. Seeing where/how these hundreds of dragons is both amazing and strangely beautiful - and a little reminiscent of 'Avatar'. Needless to say, the clash of the two armies certainly makes for exciting viewing.There's some good morals of helping your friends and fighting for what's right for the kids, but still plenty for the adults. Much of this is thanks to the great support cast - Jonah Hill as Snotlout, T.J. Miller & Kristen Wiig as the twins, Chris Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs and Kit Harrington/Jon Snow as Eret - they add the fun, banter and sidekick-ness to the film.

Now this is how a sequel is done. For a while, I haven't seen a sequel to animated movie that is not only good, but better than the original. Until now. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is the perfect description of a movie that conquers the first film and keep in mind, the original movie was probably the best animated movie DreamWorks has ever put out. This movie continues the story like a good sequel should and also ups the story, characters and animation in the process. I even think this is one of the best animated movies ever made and have so much to say about it.Five years have passed since the last film and the Viking village of Berk has evolved. The island now lives with their former nemesis, the dragons, in harmony and have even turned many of their former weapons of war into items of use for the dragons like turning giant torches into feeding stations. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless have been exploring and mapping islands outside of Berk in hopes of finding other dragon riders. He instead discovers dragon trappers who are seeking revenge after their fort was destroyed and solidified by ice. Led by Eret (Kit Harington), he reveals that the warlord Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou) is raising an army full of dragons in hopes of conquering the world. After warning his father, the chieftain Stoik (Gerard Butler), the island of Berk is put in a secure state to protect the dragons in preparation for a war. Hiccup, believing the war can be avoided, leaves the island with his girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera) in hopes to talk with Drago and prevent the battle not knowing that they aren't the only ones protecting dragons. I could tell you what happens next, but I'd rather not spoil the movie.While the last film was directed by "Lilo and Stitch" directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, this film is rather written and directed by DeBlois himself who plans to turn the series into a trilogy. He claims he mostly got inspiration from "The Empire Strikes Back" and it clearly shows. The film does what a sequel should do. The film expands the world, introduces more new characters including more species of dragons and also the fun. The story is what I love about this film the most. It ups the emotion, heart and comedy from the previous movie while also taking the movie in a more darker and serious tone. One particular scene near the end of the film was so powerful that I actually did get a little teary eyed which is a very high compliment. The animation is some of the best put to film. With help from visual consultant Roger Deakins, the animation was so beautiful and even at times very realistic. There was one shot in the film involving glaciers that looked so realistic that I initially thought it was filmed on a camera. The character are again, fantastic. They evolve like characters should, while keeping their charm that we liked about them from the previous movie. The new characters are also fantastic with the villain Drago Bludvist being a genuinely unlikeable villain while having a believable backstory to explain his actions. My favorite character is still Toothless who can be both cute and funny at times while also being epic and awesome in others. I can go on forever praising this movie, but I'd rather not."How to Train Your Dragon 2" is one the best animated sequels ever made. This is a film that has everything I expect to a sequel. A story that is as good if not better than the original, some breathtakingly real animation, and fantastic memorable characters. It's really a fantastic movie and I'm pretty excited to see where the story goes next. There are many reasons why DreamWorks is considered one of the best animation studios in the business and this is most certainly one of them.

I hardly have any words to describe this piece of art.I fell in love from the very first time i have watched it.The story is very amazing and satisfying and the animation art is so beautiful.The characters are very well chosen for this type of story.The film gives an introduction to the people and especially the young generation that the only beings that do harm and evil to anyone, even to themselves were the people and teaches us to be more kind to others and to respect the surrounding around us world that for me was quite enlightening to today's harsh world. Hardly recommend this to people who are dragon fans and not only.All i can say is great job Dream Works. Once again you bring happiness to the people around the world with your wonderful movies.My personal score 10/10 ! Can't wait for the next movie ! <3