DreamWorks Dragons is one of my most favorite franchise as of late, ever since I accidentally stumbled upon the first film. And much like how most people thought about the first film initially, it was an unexpected success. To some, it’s probably just a generic a boy and his dog story, but I think it has heart and its own charm. I for one, used to like this series because it’s about dragons, and they have a lot of different dragon species, which more or less behaved and based on real-life animals, with some of their own flair and interesting personalities, not to mention, unique, majestic, and glorious designs. Basically, in general, most of these dragons that have been featured so far are unlike generic dragons that we usually see in media. Makes sense, considering the book series the film is based on also features many dragons with different varieties.
The story is also pretty much mature, almost what you would expect from Pixar films, and we were thankful for the duo Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois for that. The second film takes the story further and taking risk with killing one of the main characters, committed by another protagonist (although he was brainwashed), on-screen, no less. It’s safe to say that these series, unlike most other DreamWorks’ animated features, are not afraid to get dark and gritty while still retaining some humor.
So when I heard that a new film coming up and it’s meant to be the final film (and possibly the whole franchise as a whole), I am stoked! The film is said to be the final book that’s going to wrap up the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless, although the friendship lives on. It is also said that the film will end in a bittersweet note, sharing similar ending with the book series; the dragons will be gone for good.
Now normally, I don’t watch film with expectations, because usually expectation only leads to disappointment, but after seeing this film… it’s probably the first time I actually feel disappointed with how the film turns out. Considering that I’ve been waiting for 5 years for a sequel (the second film was released on 2014 and this film’s release was delayed at some point) and a closure, it feels hollow and somewhat rushed.
The first part of the film actually starts strong with action sequences. But then it gradually goes down from that point. For one thing, the fact that The Hidden World is basically mentioned out of nowhere, even with the aid of the flashback, does not make the story easier to comprehend. Hiccup’s late father, Stoick, in the previous film, has spent so much time looking for the location of dragons’ nest, not the Hidden World. Here, the first flashback retcons Stoick’s motive in the first film by implying that he has been looking for the titular location for some time now to end the war. Initially, I decided to let it slide because the reason is pretty much the same, just a different location. However, it gets more jarring since the fact that the Hidden World itself only appears in a good few minutes near the end of the film… and while it’s beautiful, similar to Avatar (2010) setting Pandora, it’s a little bit unbelievable for all dragons in the world to live there, because there’s nothing in there but a huge cave system with glowing crystals. If any case, the Alpha’s Sanctuary from the second film is more suitable to be a hidden world (and more habitable for the dragons) than this film’s hidden world.
The characterization also somewhat stagnant. There really is no development and depth of these characters, they are just like the same as the way they were (or worse) in the first film. As a fan, I notice that some of Hiccup’s friends, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut start to behave as they do in the Netflix series. Snotlout, in addition to retaining his hopeless flirt traits, starts to be pretty much like a jerk sometimes, similar to his personality in the earlier seasons of Riders of Berk, while the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut are downgraded into a pair of idiot vikings. In the previous films, they have never been that stupid, just crazy. Astrid is also inconsistent in this film. At first she disagrees and being realistic regarding Hiccup’s idea and moments later, she supports the notion, even forcing other vikings to listen to him. Sure, Hiccup is probably a Chief but doesn’t mean that his idea can all be executed, and his reasoning to leave Berk because the antagonist, Grimmel, attacks his house, comes off a little bit… impulsive, a bit selfish, and reckless. This is just one of the many reasons why I start to think Hiccup is not a good leader. He starts to come up as someone who prioritizes dragons over his own people, and the final scene does not make me like him that much anymore. You will see what I mean when you watch it.
The good thing is, each and every one of the cast has good enough screentime so we get to see them bonding with Hiccup, instead of being sidelined and contribute nothing to the story most of the time.
Additionally, besides Hiccup and Toothless (whose relationship between the two has strayed far from how it was first established), the other vikings start to treat their dragons simply as pets instead of as equal companions, unlike the first film, when the bonding between the dragons and vikings first forged. As a result, the ending gives no emotional weigh. The friendship between the dragons and riders feel hollow.
And then, Grimmel, the antagonist, in my views, is a weaker antagonist than Drago Bludvist, the main villain of the second film. He has more screentime than Drago, sure, but there is no depth about him. His reasoning to kill Toothless is just because he is a Night Fury hunter and he despises the idea of dragons and vikings live together, with no further explanation. The problem here lies in the fact that he also commands a pack of dragons as his personal killers. And while he was hyped up to be the most dangerous and antagonistic villain Berk has ever seen, there is nothing special about him, except his marksmanship. Everyone on Berk can simply shoot a dragon down easily.
At one point, he and his dragons manage to sneak inside Hiccup’s house undetected, despite the abundant number of dragons and vikings prowling around Berk. In the first film, the vikings were at war with dragons for 300 years and have taken many casualties, but they never even once thought about leaving Berk. If Stoick was still alive, he would’ve decided to stand their ground and put up fight. That’s who they are supposed to be. Not to mention, Grimmel is outnumbered, and Berk has many dragons. So, that’s one thing to think about what drives the plot. In the end, there is actually no reason to be afraid of him and move away to find the Hidden World. He is also defeated fairly quickly and easily. What is meant to be a huge, final battle just feels rushed and does not scream epic or grand finale.
And then there’s the Light Fury, actually not that important in the film. Her role in this film is solely to be Toothless’ mate, so half of the film actually is about Toothless falling in love and chasing her around. While she is the one who leads Toothless into the Hidden World, she is only important because of convenience. In my opinion, her presence in the film derails Toothless’ personality so much because here, he seems nothing like his intelligent dragon persona as shown in the first film. Not to mention, the Light Fury is pretty much a static character and often shot down, captured, and brainwashed. She doesn’t really get into action until the climax and is mainly just there to look pretty and charm Toothless.
The film does not really end in a bittersweet as once we were told, and you’ll see the reason why. Overall, while this film is still fun, with breathtaking visual effects, it lacks many things that make the previous films good and enjoyable. And as a fan, I feel like it’s not a strong conclusion to end Hiccup and Toothless’ journey, and I didn’t even expect anything. But still, I won’t say it’s a bad film, just… disappointing. Stoick’s flashback is a good throwback of how far we have come since the first film and provides some heartwarming moments, and is probably one of the few good things about this film. The rest is just mediocre. I could go on and on because there are many questionable matters that happen in this film, but I will save it for another day.
Rate: 6/10
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was directed by Dean DeBlois and stars Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harrington, Gerard Butler, F. Murray Abraham, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Justin Rupple.
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