How to Train your Dragon 2

Sat down to watch How to Train your Dragon 2 with Mum this afternoon. The first film turned out to be a quiet favourite of mine so I had fairly high expectations of this sequel. While it tries quite hard to live up to expectations of the first film it never quite hits the same highs.

The villain is worth mentioning and is guilty of conforming to every cliche in the 'Bad Guy Book.' Monologing, giving heroes second chances, not killing heroes when there are multiple opportunities to do so, the works. A lot of films are often guilty of this, but here it was very obvious he is purely giving the other characters graces for the sake of their narrative. Some story elements feel a little bit imbalanced too and the whole thing moves at a speedy pace which leaves you without a grounded sense of place at times. The first half is broken into two story chunks which the film weaves between, problem is that one is far more dramatic than the other. We see an army of dragons and warriors on a march for global conquest which feels pretty pivotal in at one point, then the very next scene will focus on the main character just kinda, faffing around in they sky. Pacing is pretty awkward for the first hour but after that it straightens out a bit purpose is refocused. There is also a 'sad part' which just barely escapes being called token thanks to a single section of dialogue which rings true. 

All that aside, it captured the first film's heroic energy once again and some of the flying sequences are extremely beautiful. In fact, the whole film is gorgeous, there are some really stunning lighting effects for a few seconds at a time and some really small details like glistening snow and clouds being wafted by wings. I love that the film never dwells on these tiny details though and they just serve to immerse you further into the world. Despite all that, this is one sequel that feels very 'sequely.' A new story has been squeaked out for the fans and I am grateful for an extra chance to dive back into that world a few years later. But it's a case of diminishing returns for the series currently and frankly I don't think a third installment will surpass this one.