An improvement in, essentially, every area, except from the narrative.

Rating: 6/10 (28 February 2019)

'How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)' is technically an improvement on the first in pretty much every area, expect from the narrative. The story itself is actually quite messy, stalling in its middle section before rocketing into an unearned and kind of rushed finale. What it does better than its predecessor, however, is character. I mean, it's nothing groundbreaking but it's better. The core players aren't as flat this time, especially the father figure; he actually feels like a 'real person', as opposed to a caricature, and his actions are far more three-dimensional. There are far more scenes that rely solely on the interaction between characters, without really pushing forward the plot. Because of this, the pace seems slightly slack. There also isn't the sense of thematic integrity that the first so strongly had, which is a shame because it results in a film that doesn't really feel as though it's about anything. The violence is also bizarrely tame, especially since the feature tries to push a somewhat darker tone on the whole. The flick cuts away, essentially, every time something even remotely approaching 'bloodshed' is about to happen, which is very noticeable and reduces the impact of more than one key moment. Other than that, the action is pretty satisfying. It's high-flying and fast-paced, brought to life by animation that is, in general, much improved. The rendering, in particular, has taken a large leap forward, though there still seems to be a little something missing from behind the characters' eyes. Overall, the experience is enjoyable and, usually, comparable to that of the first flick. It isn't as tight from a narrative perspective, though, and this actually limits its emotional impact. It's certainly not a bad effort, but there are better movies out there. 6/10