How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) – Review

I’m a big fan of the first How To Train Your Dragon movie. It has great flight sequences, great characters, amazing music (I’ve played this song too many times to count),  and well, it’s just an overall great movie. But do we really need a sequel? Is this just some sort of cash grab playing off the fandom built from the first film and the TV show? I’m happy to report that yes, we needed a sequel. And no, this isn’t just some thrown together movie, here to make a quick buck. This movie is awesome.

We pick up 5 years after the events of the first film, and things in Berk are very different. Dragon’s have become an integral part of the village, with Dragon Race’s and fire proofing measure around every corner, Berk seems like quite the amazing place to live. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) however, is absent. Choosing instead to explore uncharted territories with his best friend and most faithful companion Toothless. I won’t go further into the plot, but there are some great twists and turns to look forward too and some of the feels. You’re gonna get those.

HTTYD 2 is a great example of a sequel. Building off of the established lore and emotions of the first film, How To Train Your Dragon 2 dives deep into elements only hinted at in the first making for some truly epic action sequences with dragons abound. This is Dreamworks animation at their finest. Hiccup is also dealing with much more complex emotions, trying to find out who he is in his ever changing  world. And of course, John Powell delivers yet another fantastic score.

If I had one nitpick it would be that the film’s main antagonist is pretty generic and underdeveloped, but it’s a fairly minor complaint as the film never really dwells on Drago (Djimon Hounsou). And with all the wonderful flying sequences, the charming new faces and the beautiful music, you’re not really gonna care.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a must see if you have seen the first, and with Dean DeBlois already signed on to write and direct the next one in the series you should really just watch the first and go to the movies this weekend and become a dragon rider.