A Very Solid Sequel

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2019)

This movie isn't as good as the original "How to Train Your Dragon", but you know what? It is far better than 75% of the other sequels I've seen. While this movie doesn't boast the same amount of fun and excitement as the first one, what it does have is expansive world building, great character development, some pretty cool action sequences, and a surprisingly emotional climax. No, it's not as good as the original, but it is an incredibly worthy sequel, and that right there is enough for me to sing praises for it.
I think the thing that I like most about this movie is that it is incredibly different than the original, while it still manages to maintains much of the magic that made the first movie so great. As the first movie ended with dragons being accepted into Berk, this movie starts when dragons have more or less been worked into every day life. The village of Berk feels new, while many of the things there are still the same. Similarly, Hiccup has changed; he's older, more mature. He's no longer dealing with feelings of isolation, now he's wrestling with a question of responsibility; he doesn't feel he's ready to become chief, despite what his father says. I really like this growth of the location as well as our protagonists. It feels as if the world has actually evolved, as if the events of the first film had forever changed Berk and the world around it, and that kind of gravity given to consequence makes all of the events in this film feel more important.