Review: How To Train Your Dragon 2

-
Dracarys. 

How to Train Your Dragon is one of my favorite animated films of all time. That score, the shots of the dragons flying, I just loved it. I raged when Toy Story 3 won the Best Animated Oscar over it. Now we're back for its sequel, and honestly, it's just as good. 

 It's been 5 years since we last saw Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) he's still riding Toothless, and exploring the world. His father, Stoick (Gerard Butler) wants him to become the chief of Berk so he can retire, but Hiccup doesn't want that. He's still with Astrid (America Ferrara, who kind of got on my nerves this time around) and she's been racing dragons with their other friends. Hiccup runs across some dragon catchers, led by Eret (Kit Harington) who are helping build a dragon army for the mysterious Drago. (Djimon Hounsou) He's going to wage war. In the process of trying to stop this, Hiccup also runs across his long lost mother, Valka. (Cate Blanchett)

 John Powell is back with yet another magnificent score. The animation in this one blows the previous film out of the water. The flying scenes are a little more intricate, and there's one hell of a battle scene, animated-wise, anyways. Sure Dragons 2 gets a little predictable and cheesy at times (of course, it's a kids movie) but it's still very enjoyable, and I hope they do a 3rd.

 Also have you ever rooted for an animated couple this much?


LOOK AT THEM!

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A+

Memorable Quote: "TAKE ME NOW!" - Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig)

Comments

  1. DellJune 14, 2014 at 7:31 AM

    Glad to hear that this is a very good sequel. Good review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. rhysgdruryJune 14, 2014 at 9:08 AM

    Love it! :) Dreamworks have certainly got a good thing going with HTTYD. The best part is, we've only got to wait 2 years for the next one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 14, 2014 at 9:53 AM

      They've announced it already? Yessss!

      I never thought I'd be excited for a kids movie.

      Delete
  3. Dan O.June 14, 2014 at 1:30 PM

    Good review Brittani. It's surprisingly very dark, yet, still feels like it's accessible to most kids who need to learn a little bit about life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 14, 2014 at 8:07 PM

      I think a little darkness makes things more interesting for kids. The Black Cauldron and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were always my favorites as a kid, and those are darker.

      Delete
  4. MikeJune 14, 2014 at 3:47 PM

    Its not everyday when a sensible sequel comes out. I just watched the first dragon movie earlier in the week and really enjoyed it, so I'm be looking forward to this sequel at some point. Good review. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 14, 2014 at 8:06 PM

      The more I think about it, I think I actually liked this one better.

      Delete
  5. ruthJune 15, 2014 at 8:41 PM

    Amen to all you said Brittani. I hope they keep up with the quality for the 3rd movie, which I can't wait to see! John Powell's score is really amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 16, 2014 at 8:24 PM

      I'm sure they will. The detail in this film was amazing.

      Delete
  6. UnknownJune 16, 2014 at 6:02 AM

    I saw this yesterday in 3D at the IMAX and it was truly amazing! The story was great (even as a sequel) and yes I am 100% rooting for Hiccup and Astrid :-) Sooo cute!!

    I read in Empire that this was commissioned as a Trilogy, my Dad said it's because they have to explain why there are no dragons in the world now!! This could mean the end for Toothless (noooooooooo I hear you cry!! How could they!?) I really hope he's wrong!

    Will be reviewing this myself very soon but it will read very similar to your Brittani I'm sure! :-)

    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 16, 2014 at 8:24 PM

      I read that too! Are all the dragons going to go all "Her" on us and leave like the OS' did?

      Delete
  7. m.brownJune 16, 2014 at 10:36 AM

    Looking forward to this one. Nice review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 16, 2014 at 8:23 PM

      Thank you! I loved it way more than an adult is supposed to, I think.

      Delete
  8. JoshJune 20, 2014 at 10:07 AM

    Glad to see someone else thinks the first one is better than Toy Story 3. :) I enjoyed this one too, but I like the previous film more.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownNovember 21, 2018 at 1:40 AM

    Nice! If this is the rating then I am definitely watching it with my family. I started accompanying them with such shows when we started watching series by Andy Yeatman on Netflix. It was our luck that we found it online and I can still watch the series on repeat.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen...
Read more

My Favorite Movie Youtube Channels

-
Image
Starting around 2018, I started watching Youtube for more than just movie trailers or music videos whenever a new one dropped. Now I'm in full blown subscription mode and don't bat an eyelash at watching a Youtube video that's over an hour long. I watch Youtube for a few different categories of content, but one of them that I love most is movie/TV essays and commentary, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. Below is a list of my favorite movie related Youtube channels. Let me know if you're familiar with them too, or if you have any you'd like to recommend to me.  Double Toasted - I'm honestly surprised this channel isn't bigger. I first came across Korey and Martin when they reviewed War for the Planet of the Apes a few months before it hit theaters and I thought they were hysterical. While their full length videos stream on Twitch, they often upload their movie reviews and commentary on youtube and they're always hilarious. They've...
Read more