A major disappointment.

Rating: 5/10 (2 September 2014)

Finally being able to watch this movie, I was stoked! I loved the first film, and it was about time to watch another light-hearted but intelligent movie about dragons and vikings in a universe I quickly learned to love.
What a bummer.
The subtle humor and cuteness of the first movie has been utterly demolished by slapstick that would put early Monty Python to shame and repeated gags that weren't funny to begin with. Oddly timed jokes seemingly thrown out at random took the edge off of a lot of situations that actually needed to be played out to the fullest.
Now, one thing I loved about the first movie was the balance between mature themes, expertly crafted into a believable story that both kids and adults could enjoy. The absence of a classical villain - instead leaving misunderstanding and fear as the culprits - gave it an edge and a message I don't recall seeing in any other animated movie. Sadly, it's sequel seems to completely ignore the success of this formula, and tackles huge and serious situations such as abandonment of one's family, the death of a loved one by the hand of a loved one, and treason in a manner that leaves me in wanting of other plot devices it can actually sustain as a movie primarily targeted towards children. The villain seems utterly forced, and lacks any credibility whatsoever. I never once truly believed that a raving monkey-man like that managed to subdue and bend the will of powers that were far superior to him. His motives are ridiculous, his back-story (which he apparently tells anybody that crosses his path in an instant) is as thin as a single sheet of toilet paper, and his personal integrity and conviction just makes him seem like something they just threw in there on a whim.
I really wanted to enjoy this movie, but I just couldn't! I couldn't force myself to believe the family reunion and how lightly everybody took it. I couldn't believe the villain. Frankly, I could hardly believe anything!
That's not to say the movie is entirely void of anything enjoyable. I like the way they keep fleshing out our main protagonist and his entourage - particularly his relationship to shield maiden Astrid. I just wish the rest of the movie would be approached with the same thought through storytelling.
As much as I'd love to love it, I must sadly go back and re-watch both the first one and this once again. It might have been my mood when I watched it, or it might be another case of "The Dark Knight Rises-" a movie I found so utterly horrendous and pointless it still makes me angry to think of the great reviews it received. At least How to Train Your Dragon 2 was better than that one...