The Dark Knight of This Series

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2014)

Releasing on June 14 of this year, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" had some very big shoes to fill, following up to its 2010 predecessor. The first film, I thought, was a very rare gem; a movie that both kids and adults can enjoy in equal measure. It had action, it had humor, it was beautifully animated, the cast was amazing, and the score was absolute perfection. To say that I was looking forward to this film was an understatement; this was actually one of my most anticipated of the year. And thankfully, this film met my expectations and then some.
First off, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is not just another installment to the franchise; it is a superbly written tale that can easily stand on its own. You do not need to have seen the first film to understand what is happening, and you could actually view this as a standalone film. This is what I always look for in sequel films that are not based off of books. I love seeing a movie that can be its own, without depending on the audience being up to date on every event leading up to a certain point.
Just like last time the cast is Stellar, and I could probably write a five page paper on just why the soundtrack was amazing. But I will spare you the details and simply say that this is one I am going to try and get off of Amazon around Christmas time. This is one of those movie scores that cannot be enjoyed enough when watching the movie. This is one that is great for almost anytime. The score alone could carry this film, but the story and animation were just as good.
I have taken a semester of 3D animation in high school, so I know firsthand how difficult it can be to make an object move the way that you want it to. That being said, this film's effects are flawless. From the mesmerizing dragon flights to the intimate character moments and even the grand scale battles, this film demands viewers to look for even the slightest details and be wowed. I will say one of the two nit-picks I actually do have with this film is that I would like to see a few more traditional, European, styled dragon. Just saying
Finally, the last part of the film that I would like to comment on is the story. So many times a sequel will sacrifice story in favor of bigger and better effects (I am looking at you "Transformers" series). However, this film managed to take a common story thread and combine it with enough unique moments and characters that it felt new and exciting. It also had one of the absolute saddest moments I have seen in theaters all year. I will not spoil it here, but it was so effective that I have heard stories of teen girls who actually left the theater they were crying so hard. This, however, does lead into my second nit-pick. After the tear wrenching moment, the story does pull out a few very kid friendly jokes that felt badly placed. But thankfully, they do not demean the traumatic moment enough to ruin it. This event does impact the rest of the film, and I was glad to see it be more than just another throwaway sad moment at the movies.
From it flawless animation to the way it did not sugarcoat its more mature themes, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is one of the best films of the year. The traumatic moment in the film was not simply brushed over; it played a huge element throughout the rest of the film, and I was very, very pleased with this. The story was superb, the animation was breathtaking, and the finale of this film was THE best I have seen since the start of 2014. Not even Godzilla breathing radiation was as exhilarating as watching Toothless prove that he is one of the greatest dragons in cinema history. This film deserved every moment of the applause it received when the end credits rolled, and my only regret is that I did not see it twice in the theater.
I give this movie a 9.75/10.