How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) - 9/10
1. Acting
The acting in the film is a nice improvement from the first. There is a lot more depth in the script for the actors to sink their teeth into. Also, since the characters are already established, the actors can get away from surface level stuff and get into a bit of nuance. For example, there is a nice moment between Hiccup and Astrid early in the film where they discuss Hiccup being pressured by Stoik to take over as Chief. The conversation relies on the audience already having a relationship/understanding of the characters which allows it to just breathe as a caring conversation between partners.
Gerard Butler, in particular, has a lot more to do in this script and he is really able to hit the emotional moments built into the screenplay. The introduction of Hiccup's other parent, Valka, also carries a lot of emotional depth to explore. Cate Blanchett imbues Valka with a nice touch of awkwardness since she essentially has only been around dragons for 20 years. She also captures the timidness and shame Valka feels being back with her son after so long. But, the true treat is her interactions with Stoik. Blanchett and Butler are able to tap into a sincere sense of intimate familiarity but also the sadness of missing so much time together.
The last character I want to mention is one I overlooked in the first review - Toothless. Toothless does technically have a voice actor - sound designer Randy Thom. But, his acting really comes from the various animators that worked on him. Toothless, much like Hiccup, is clearly maturing in terms of character. His range of emotions and progression in the story is well 'acted'.
2. Cinematography
I'll ignore the animation for now and focus on the camera work. The first film had a great eye for wide landscape shots and energetic/fun camera movements. This film is all of that plus more. The camera moves are especially marvelous during flying scenes such as during the opener. Also the spinning shot from later in the film is fantastic.
The landscapes and environments get a big upgrade thanks to improvements in the animation qualities. The world is not only getting bigger for the characters, but the audiences as well. The changing environments make for fresh and beautiful shot compositions.
Lastly increased rendering power means the filmmakers had a chance to play around with lighting a lot more than the first film. Each 'set' has a different feel to it and the use of dragon's fire to light certain scenes gave the scene a very cool look.
3. Production/Costume Design
The character designs get a nice update thanks to the improved graphics, but it's more than just looking better. The design teams clearly wanted to consider how the world would change after the Vikings and dragons have been living with each other for an extended amount of time. Hiccup, for example is sporting new armor full of gadgets and a wing-suit. Berk also gets an upgrade and there is lot of fun little details hidden in the shots for ways in which the village has adapted with its new occupants such as the automatic water dispensers on roofs to snuff out any wayward dragon fire.
4. Writing
The reason a lot of sequels fail is by trying to recreate the original or by not taking the time to develop the story. This is especially true for 'cash grab' sequels which are usually rushed into production to capitalize on its own relevancy. HTTYD2 is an especially strong sequel because it takes what was accomplished on the first, builds on it in an organic way, and does so by maturing with its characters. The result is a much darker and more emotional film.
I spent a lot of time in the first review walking through the '7 Narrative Questions' to demonstrate why the film was more than just a simple family movie geared at kids. This film follows the same sort of narrative understanding but is more ambitious in its efforts.
For example, Hiccup's journey feels like a very natural evolution. Now that he is more confident in himself and his standing within Berk, he is fearful of his father pushing him into becoming Chief. Hiccup is struggling because he doesn't feel like he knows who he is - claiming that he knows he isn't like his father and never knew his mother. This sets up a lot of Hiccup's emotional arcs in the film.
For instance, while Hiccup wants to remain just a dragon rider and claims to not know who he is, what he needs is to realize he already has the qualities of a great Chief and must accept the responsibility. Throughout this journey, he first is confronted with meeting his long lost mother. He is initially elated to find her and even moreso by learning that she is a dragon master who has fully integrated into a life living with dragons. She even remarks "This is who you are Hiccup, who we are". However, this is also the moment we see Hiccup start questioning if that is a good thing. She abandoned him and his father for his whole life, and while she may have an even fuller relationship with dragons than himself, that may not be as aspirational as he first perceives. Then, as the story moves on to the confrontation with Drago, Hiccup's want of finding a diplomatic solution is challenged by his need of assuming the role of a Chief and the heavy decisions and responsibilities that may follow with that. These are complex internal struggles and I am thankful for a 'kids' movie that is willing to engage in weightier topics than others.
In addition to Hiccup, another interesting and new character that we explore is Valka. One of the criticisms I've seen in regards to this movie is how the story 'lets' Valka off the hook for abandoning her family. On a surface level, I think that is a fair critique. It doesn't fully track how overjoyed Hiccup and Stoik are to have found Valka after all the time had passed AND to quickly forgive her for just abandoning them. As some more succinct reviewers have put it - Valka kinda sucks. However, I like that she is a bit of a controversial character. Valka's actions were not just misguided, but also very selfish. And I think she knows that. When I watch the reunion scenes with her and Hiccup, or her and Stoik, I see a character clinging to the justifications they gave themselves to avoid having to reckon with her own terribleness. And while some viewers may criticize her for never going back to Berk (fair), I see a mother so ashamed and so fearful of what that returning would mean, that she convinces herself that she had a higher calling to fulfill protecting dragons. Point being, I don't think Valka is a bad character. Rather, the problem is the script doesn't have the bandwidth to fully explore this and relies on the audience finding a deeper level of empathy. And it's not a bad thing to challenge your audience with difficult characters, but it does risk the possibility that they won't want to.
Of course we also have the Stoik of it all. In the first film Stoik struggles with understanding his son and ashamed of him at times. In this film, we get to explore the other side of that coin. Now, Stoik is so proud of his son that he is pushing him as his successor. At first this seems like it will play as the central conflict for Stoik and Hiccup, but in hindsight, this is a setup for Hiccup's emotional arc and what must happen when Stoik is tragically killed. His death is made even more tragic given that the film finally reunites him with Valka and signals that they are all poised to be a family again. The scenes between him and Valka in the dragons cave are some of the sweetest and most loving moments of the entire series and are a perfect way to set the audience up for an emotional punch to the face later on. Stoik may not be the first parental figure to die in a kids movie, but this one just hits with so much more force than others that I have seen.
As for the rest of the cast of characters, I like the banter that has developed between the supporting cast such as the other dragon riders. In particular, the love triangle (square?) involving Eret has some really great comic relief moments. And last but definitely not least, we have Toothless. Toothless is clearly growing in term of personality alongside Hiccup, but he does get a bit sidelined compared to some of the other parts of the main cast. His arc seems to come late in the film and the conclusion of him becoming the 'alpha' at the end of the film feels a bit tacked on. The finale also features a bit of an old trope of 'hero gets brainwashed but snaps out of it because of true love/friendship'. It works within the movie, but does feel very familiar.
Another critique of the film involves the main villain. Drago Bloodfists is an underdeveloped villain who is most effective before he actually gets onscreen. His motivations are light and just exposition dumped in the third act. However, this all is likely just a result of the filmmakers wanting to focus more on the relationships amongst the heroes and not wanting to rush through the familial moments. The tradeoff is largely worth it.
5. Sound Design
John Powell, once again, just gets after it. This score is so epic and fantastic, and like the rest of the film, builds upon what came before and broadens and deepens it at every turn. We also get a cast sung original song 'For the Dancing and the Dreaming' which not only fits well into the narrative, but also backdrops an extremely wholesome and lovely scene between Stoik, Valka and Hiccup.
6. Editing
Surprisingly, this film only clocks in at six minutes longer than the first film despite a much more ambitious story. The pace is largely brisk, but doesn't rush through its more emotional moments which results in a nice balance. With that said, the third act does feel rushed and the hero/villain showdown in the end suffers from the family focused first 2/3rds of the runtime.
7. Visual Effects
This film is undeniably gorgeous to look at and is a major improvement from the first film. Certainly, there were lessons learned from the making of the first film, but the real leap in quality was due to rapidly improving tools for the artists to use and render with in real time. Dreamworks invested heavily in updating its technology and worked with software developers to create a streamlined program they named Premo. The basic difference this time around is that Premo allowed artists to create and work with a fully developed CG character instead of an un-rendered or less finalized model. Essentially they cut out a lot of the 'middle man' tech which allowed artists to reinvest their time in focusing on greater levels of detail and more dynamic animations. The software was also much more agile in terms of manipulating the camera and lighting with the scenes. I don't usually get excited about updates to software and workflow streamlining, but the results speak for themselves when you're watching the movie.
8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation
Like I said in the intro, great sequels build upon and improve on the original. The more mature narrative and characters arcs certainly accomplish that for HTTYD2 - a feat that not many animated films have been able to do. I'm sure many of us remember growing up with the discount Disney sequels that nobody really liked for example. In fact, I'd go as far as to say this sequel is more reminiscent of films like The Empire Strike Back or Terminator 2 which built out their worlds and characters to the extent that they tend to overshadow the original.
9. Stunt Coordination
The action animation of this film is really great, but does withhold a lot until the final act. The dragons and their 'powers' are mostly sidelined to the finale and things feel a bit more generic than the original when we just learning about them. Nevertheless, the battle is certainly cranked up in terms of scale and ambition.
10. Direction
Co-Director of the first film, Dean Deblois returns for the sequel which is certainly a benefit here. His familiarity with the characters and world are great, but it is his ambition and inspiration is really the key. Unsurprisingly I learned that The Empire Strikes Back served as a major influence for how Deblois wanted to approach this film and this comes across quite clear in the film.
Legacy/Final Thoughts
I actually had this film sitting in as a 'draft' review for awhile now. I had a lot of back and forth on whether I was going to publish it as the next 'masterpiece' 10/10 film. Ultimately, I felt that my slight uncertainty and some of the more minor nit-picking of certain aspects of the film were enough to pull it down to a 9/10. With that said, there is not much more you can ask from this film - it's a top tier sequel with lots of thrills, beautiful animation, and really emotional moments. As an animated film, it is not afraid to challenge it audience with darker and more mature narratives and manages to do so without abandoning its family friendly nature. If I gave half credit, I'd certainly would here since it is so so so close to perfect.
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