Jay Baruchel
Cate Blanchett
Gerard Butler
Craig Ferguson
America Ferrera
Jonah Hill
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
T.J. Miller
Kristen Wiig
Djimon Hounsou
Kit Harington

Dean DeBlois

102 mins.
Animation, Action, Adventure
June 13, 2014

Rated PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor. (MPAA)

DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” which I watched a few hours after watching its predecessor, is a sequel that squanders the wonder of the first film in the series. It’s a good animated film, but it doesn’t seem special overall. The wondrous sights are still there, but we’ve seen them before. Plus, at times, the story separates main character Hiccup from the others in his Viking tribe. So the story is fragmented, which dissipates the power of the central parallel story line from the first film: how Hiccup comes to relate to his dragon as a result of both of them being misunderstood by humans.

The dragons don’t help to drive the plot enough in this film. There’s a nice point, in regards to the dragons, about the power of influence toward the end of the film, though. Also, after a tragic loss, the end does come back to the central relationship between Hiccup and Toothless.

Regardless, this is much more about humans, especially in regards to the darker side of humans. That’s fine, but the clichés stick out a bit more; and, it’s crowded. The first film had a much clearer story to tell. This film just does too much.

The moment that Hiccup realizes that he’s found his mother does seem special, though. But that doesn’t carry through the rest of the film. Also, they throw in a completely unnecessary and out-of-place musical number. They might as well have included the WB frog, singing “Hello My Baby, Hello My Darling.”

For the most part, this is cute, instead of touching. And this kind of animated film needs to be touching. Cute, unlike eight, is not enough.

The first film didn’t pander to its audience, but this one does every now and then. Again, it’s still pretty good; but so what? It seems that this sequel is simply the result of the need to make money. Just because one film works doesn’t mean that we need a sequel. If there’s nothing interesting left to explore, just let it be.

For fans of the first film, “How to Train Your Dragon 2” is more than adequate to keep them satisfied, but with less charm and more … stuff. It’s a mixed bag that would seem better if it didn’t have a predecessor. It suffers by comparison. After all, there’s a beauty to simplicity. It’s still better than most other animated films, though.

Verdict: Good

About: (Source: howtotrain2)

The thrilling second chapter of the epic How To Train Your Dragon trilogy brings back the fantastical world of Hiccup and Toothless five years later.

It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), 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 center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.