Stuck in the shadow of the marvellous original.

Rating: 6/10 (23 June 2014)

After watching this hugely anticipated second entry into the HTTYD series, I completely understand how Natalie Imbruglia felt in 1997: torn. On the one hand it's an entirely satisfactory family flick that has plenty going for it; on the other it can't get out from underneath the shadow of its marvellous predecessor to be a triumph in its own right. Visually, there's nothing to complain about; the high-flying sequences are breathtaking and the animation in general is vibrant, imaginative and full of detail. From a storytelling perspective though, there are some serious problems. Set five years after the rocky Dragon/Viking-uniting events of HTTYD1, we catch up with Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) as he explores unchartered parts of the world on the back of his winged companion Toothless, and ultimately stumbles into newfound danger. With Hiccup and his pals now 20 years old – technically adults, but still behaving like kids – the tone of the movie is as awkward as the age of our skinny hero, consequently stifling majority of the attempts at humour as well. A sense of narrative déjà vu also creeps in, with a few of the plot beats conspicuously similar to the first go round, and there's an unforgivably dull extended passage at the midway point centred on a character bizarrely voiced by Cate Blanchett. On the bright side, there is a bold final act shock that is genuinely affecting and will hopefully be the catalyst for a fresher story in the already announced third instalment. As a soaring, roaring adventure film this sequel gets a thumbs up, but as a whole package building on the original, it doesn't come close.