Directed by: Dean DeBlois.
Written by: Dean DeBlois based on the book series by Cressida Cowell.
Starring: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Cate Blanchett (Valka), Gerard Butler (Stoick), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), America Ferrera (Astrid), Jonah Hill (Snotlout), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs), T.J. Miller (Tuffnut), Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut), Djimon Hounsou (Drago), Kit Harington (Eret).
How
to Train Your Dragon 2 avoids the typical downfalls of sequels to animated kids
movies – that is, it is not just a repeat of the last film, yet louder and
coarser. That seems to be what most animated sequels try to do – simply milk
another few dollars out of parents by giving them the exact same thing the
second time around. How to Train Your Dragon 2 does what all great sequels do –
expand the universe of the first film, show the characters evolve further. It’s
rare these days to see an animated film that actually appeals to both parents
and their kids – rarer still to find that film be a sequel. But How to Train
Your Dragon 2 is that film.
Writer-Director
Dean DeBlois seems much more interested in the world of Birk – and the
surrounding areas – and the characters that have already been established and
their evolving relationship than in a typical plot. True, How to Train Your
Dragon 2 does have a plot – Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is under pressure from his
father (Gerald Butler) to become chief, when he simply wants to explore the
wider world. It’s while exploring that he discovers his long lost mother Valka
(Cate Blanchatt) – who lives with the dragons – and the two start to get to
know each other. And he also finds out that someone named Drago (Djimon Hounsou),
who says he can control the dragons, is out for war. They are on a collision
course – and the movie does in fact end with a few huge (spectacularly
animated) battle sequences with hundreds of dragons, and their riders,
attacking each other. Yet, I think DeBlois seems to enjoy the quieter sequences
more. Essentially, Hiccup, Vlaka and Drago represent three completely different
ways of “living with” dragons. For Vlaka, she has spent the two decades since
she abandoned her family living with the dragons, almost as one of them – not interfering
with them, and following their lead. Drago has spent his time learning to
control dragons – so that he can use them as weapons. Hiccup is in between
these two extremes – he doesn’t want to control his dragon, nor does he want to
be controlled by them. He wants a partnership with them – that both of them
working together are stronger than either can be by themselves. It makes sense,
in a way, that Vlaka was at one point supposed to be the villain of the movie –
Drago in some ways is an underdeveloped character. He shows up fairly late in
the movie (even if his presence has been discussed since the beginning) and
once the action starts, the film doesn’t have much for Vlaka to do. She is
still a strong female character – as is Astrid (voiced by America Ferrara)
Hiccup’s fiancé, who he sees as a partner, not a prize. Sadly, that’s
considered good news in a summer blockbuster when it comes to female characters
– but we’ll take what we can get.
Besides,
as I said, I think DeBlois is more interested in the relationships than the
story itself. The movie is at its best when it’s about Hiccup and Vlaka getting
to know each other – feeling each other out, as the mysteries that Hiccup has
struggled with – why he’s so different from his father – starts becoming clearer.
He is his mother’s son in many ways. But his journey in this film is one where
he discovers he’s equal parts of both of his parents – as he realizes what he
must do.
How
to Train Your Dragon 2 is a great sequel because it continues its story, rather
than repeating it. Yes, there some unnecessary subplots - pretty much
everything with Eret – voiced by Kit Harrington – as a dragon hunter is useless,
especially after he fulfills his needs in the plot, which is to introduce us to
Drago. And Drago is underdeveloped – although even so, he makes an intimidating
villain, with his bulking size, his dreadlocks, and Hounsou’s booming, distinctive
voice coming out of a character that doesn’t look like we expect him to. It doesn’t
quite hit the heights of the original film – in part, because that film was
such a pleasant surprise back in 2010 (I certainly didn’t expect much from it).
But for Dreamworks animation – a studio who has struggled to come up with
worthy sequels to good originals (like all the Shrek movies, and King Fu Panda
2) – this feels like a step forward for them. They’re learning that you have to
do more than simply repackage what worked last time.
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