Plot
When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 8.8/10 (3,667 voted)
Critic's Score: 72/100
Director: Dean DeBlois
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler
Storyline
It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.
Writers: Dean DeBlois, Cressida Cowell
Cast: Jay Baruchel -
Hiccup
(voice)
Cate Blanchett -
Valka
(voice)
Gerard Butler -
Stoick
(voice)
Craig Ferguson -
Gobber
(voice)
America Ferrera -
Astrid
(voice)
Jonah Hill -
Snotlout
(voice)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse -
Fishlegs
(voice)
T.J. Miller -
Tuffnut
(voice)
Kristen Wiig -
Ruffnut
(voice)
Djimon Hounsou -
Drago
(voice)
Kit Harington -
Eret
(voice)
Kieron Elliott -
Hoark the Haggard
(voice)
Philip McGrade -
Starkard
(voice)
Andrew Ableson -
Ug
(voice)
Gideon Emery -
Teeny
(voice)
Trivia: Chris Sanders, co-writer and co-director of How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Dean DeBlois' collaborator since Lilo & Stitch (2002), will not return to write and direct the sequel, due to his involvement with The Croods (2013); although, he will only executive-produce the film. See more »
Quotes:
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User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
Seeing the original 'How to Train Your Dragon' for the first time made
me feel like a kid again and it has since become one of my all-time
favorite films, so when I got a chance to see this, I was as much
worried as I was excited. In the past, some of the films I have
anticipated the most turned out to be the biggest disappointments (like
'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' - to name but the worst), so I took a
deep breath and tried to lower my expectations going in. Films that
premiere at Cannes (but run out of competition) have a long history of
being over-hyped and "of rather mixed quality", to say the least
(again: 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull') – but this one really needn't
have feared the competition. I'm glad to say that Dean DeBlois has
crafted a beautifully animated tale that loses nothing of its
predecessor's sense of fun and adventure, while it enhances Hiccup's
and Toothless' journey into an almost classic - and unexpectedly
touching - "coming-of-age" story.
While still colourful, playful and visually all over the place (I mean
that in a good way*), the tone of the sequel is noticeably darker and
the predominant themes are more mature. The writers made some (for
Hollywood movies) unusually daring decisions in having Hiccup face very
tough realities in life; especially one about the danger of
over-humanizing pets and forgetting about their animal nature. Small
children had perhaps better stay away, since the film is also quite a
bit scarier than the original. That's not saying that there isn't a lot
of humour – but the wisecracks of Jonah Hill & Co. will most certainly
be lost on the very young and are clearly targeted towards older
children and teenagers.
*A word about the animation: This is among the most visually stunning
animated films I have ever seen; at times, there is so much eye-popping
spectacle on screen that you don't know where to focus anymore - this
one definitely needs a second viewing.
My overall verdict: While the storyline may not be quite as
straightforward as the original's, the well written, credible character
development and the gorgeous visuals are more than satisfying. 'How to
Train Your Dragon 2' could have played it safe by merely repeating the
original's formula – it opted instead for the introduction of
fascinating new characters while giving the ones we know more
back-story and a chance to grow up and explore new territory. I would
say that next to 'Days of Future Past', this is one of the best sequels
Hollywood has produced in a very long time. 9 stars out of 10 (with the
option of a straight 10 once I've seen it again).
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