How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Review)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Reminds Us that All Good Things Must Come to An End.
How to Train Your Dragon is one of those strange film franchises that seems to just keep getting better and better with each installment. Personally, I found the first film to be quaint and charming, but hardly a masterpiece. Since then though the series has slowly won me over as Dreamworks continued to expand the magical mythos at the center of these dragon-centric animated films. The final installment will win over even those with the most cynical hearts and will leave longtime fans of Hiccup and Toothless with tears of joy and sorrow in their eyes as they get to say goodbye to the characters they’ve come to love so much over the years.
Director/writer Dean DeBlois has shown spectacular growth over the past nine years since the first installment of the How to Train Your Dragon series hit theaters. There’s no arguing that the past entries in the trilogy weren’t a sight to behold, but How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has some of the most beautiful animations I’ve seen on the big screen in, well, a long time. The amount of detail that went into every sequence is staggering, to say the least, and even borders on overwhelming at times. However, it’s never gratuitous. Every shadow, piece of armor, even the weather itself is meticulously designed to paint a beautiful picture of the world these mythical beast inhabit. Not only that but How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World features an enchanting Celtic inspired soundtrack that on adds to the overall emotional depth of this masterfully crafted film. I have to say, the rest of the animated movies set to come out this year are going to be fighting an uphill battle to top How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
Simply being pretty isn’t enough to win me over, but How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World offers so much more for the audience. The story reunites fan-favorite characters played by the likes of Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, and many more. However, it’s the new addition of F. Murray Abraham that truly makes this the best installment in the franchise. In the film, he plays the most menacing and dangerous villain the series, one who is just as smart as Hiccup but ruthless enough to give him an edge over the Vikings that have sworn to protect the dragons of the world. I always say that a hero is only as good as their villain and this time around How to Train Your Dragon has found a villain that lets the characters we’ve come to love prove what great heroes they are.
Fans of How to Train Your Dragon are familiar to the fact that the films don’t always have the happiest endings, but at the same time it’s nice to see animated movies like this embrace the fact that not “everything is awesome” all the time. Hiccup has had a hard life as he’s tried to turn his clan of Viking warriors from dragon killers to dragon saviors and because of that, he’s had to grow up fast. The result of that is that he’s been thrown into a role he was never quite ready for and in this final chapter of the trilogy we get to see him grapple with his lack of confidence as a leader. His relationship with Toothless has become such a huge part of his identity that when his best friend finds a lady dragon that catches his fancy, he has to cut the apron strings and let his BFF fly free in order to find true happiness. The question itching at the back of Hiccups mind is if his friend is going to return after wooing his would be boo.
Dreamworks has established How to Train Your Dragon as the greatest series in its arsenal (sorry Shrek fans). It’s a well-crafted fantasy that the whole family can enjoy together and hits all the key emotional notes needed to resonate with audiences long after the credits roll. I try to not get too emotional when it comes to these kinds of movies, but by the end of it, even I was trying to choke back a tear or two. Because of this, I have to say that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is an early front runner for the best-animated film of 2019.
Of course, there are times when the film is overly sentimental and might even pander a bit to audiences, especially during a few sequences where Gerard Butler returns as Hiccup’s father to remind him of how to be not just a great leader but a great man. However, even I ended up falling for those well-placed emotional sucker punches. Long story short, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a family movie that deserves to be seen on the biggest possible screen with your whole family. Even if you don’t have kids, you won’t want to miss out on this exceptionally well crafted animated movie.
