How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Movie Reviews by Ry!
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – A Dragon Kind of Love
A series reaching its end, it is a feeling you get when you’re in the last part of a trilogy. Coming to the third movie, you are ingrained in the story, characters and overall journey. When giviing a sense of completeness, it will always be tagged with some emotions. Through the spectacle of animation, this installment blends the familiar with a wonderful sense of entertainment. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World will show the true friendship of a boy and his dragon.
In the last leg of their journey, we find Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless scouring the world to save the dragons from poachers. Through convenient plot elements, a conflict arises that will challenge the peaceful home of Hiccup’s people and his relationship with Toothless. Causing that conflict is Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) who will stop at nothing till all the dragons are dead, especially Toothless. Once this is set, the basic direction takes the story through the entrails of the familiar trope of the ‘classic’ villain disrupting the peaceful nature of the main character(s). Even with the standard nature of the premise, what grips your heart are two things:
- The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless
- The World-Building
As you watch these two navigate through the world, their relationship is challenged through various elements of love. This is complimented well by the animation, breathing realism and grandeur through scope and scale. The emotional worth and world helps provided endurance against cheesy one-liners and predictable mishaps. As the story moves into the second act, the lens focuses on Hiccup’s struggles to the be a leader while trying to continue his mission to save dragons. The personal conflict helps provide the emotional worth when it comes with the on/off tug-of-war against Grimmel. As the story moves along, the thematic presence of friendship and lost hangs over each decision, stringing together memories with foreshadowing elements of things to come.
As the film moves into the third act, there are stringing of revelations and romantic interests that help provide deeper moments for the main characters. This helps pull the characters into a forward momentum, allowing for true growth in an otherwise predictable tale. In the climax, it is blend of bombastic visuals, intuitive action and poignant moments. You get to see the friendship of Hiccup and Toothless come full circle, bringing conclusion to their journey. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is that third film that does enough to bring fun, enjoyment but true fulfillment to fans of the series. Even with basic details, you will still be smiling in the end. This is a film worth checking out with the family; a fun time at the theater.
Final Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)