BACK TO THE DRAGON BOARD // A FILM REVIEW OF "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2"

BY CHRISENA RICCI

As far as animated series go, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is one of my favorites. Quippy, heartfelt, and highly imaginative, this sequel did not disappoint. As with the original I found myself giggling like a little girl at the idea of having a dragon as a pet. This storyline, although darker that the first film, was interesting and lived up to the high standards set with the first. One of my favorite things about both ‘Dragon’ films is that it doesn’t shy away from serious issues.

In the first film we face the serious loss of an appendage and in this one we focus on what it means to stand up for your beliefs. Hiccup realizes he must stand up to his father, once again, to do what is right, no matter the cost. Then we find out that Hiccup’s mother left the family because she knew her husband would never listen to her opinions on the true gentle nature of these dragon “foes”. It’s oddly reminiscent of Henrik Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE. Except Ibsen didn’t have such a phenomenal score.

Just like the first film, the score gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. In animated film a good score is crucial, especially when you’re telling a borderline ridiculous story of teenagers who ride on the backs of their dragon companions.

The pace of this film seems to drag a little more than the first, which I credit to the heavier subject matter. This definitely could have been trimmed a bit more. I understand that this is primarily a film for young audiences, but come on guys. Even kids can imagine how weird it would be for parents to reconcile after years apart. Especially kids these days. Audiences, even young ones are smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation after the first few lines of dialogue. We probably all could have lived without that random love duet that the reunited parents sang.

Another issue I have is that all of the “bad guys” are black. It truthfully, caught me completely off-guard. Dreamworks was ready to face amputations of children’s legs, parents splitting up and even supported a suggestibly gay character. So why were the villains all black and the heroes all white? For a company that is clearly socially conscious it was a rather large thing to overlook.

CHRISENA'S GRADE: C+

Directed and Written by: Dean DeBlois Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig. RATED PG

FINAL THOUGHTS: I laughed. I cried. True, I did get a little bogged down, but the score was just as good as the first.

CHRISENA RICCI once went to a costume party dressed in an all black dress and black wig. No one there could guess who she was. So she shouted out, "I'm Christina Ricci, without the T or I and add an E!" Everyone stood there confused, she was annoyed, so she stormed off. She never returned to that apartment ever again. Which is fine, because she later realized she was at the wrong party. She now lives in New York City.