Unadulterated joy

Rating: 9/10 (14 June 2014)

How To Train Your Dragon 2 is every bit as entertaining and endearing as the original. Refreshingly for a sequel, it is not necessarily bigger and brasher, but feels like an extension of How To Train Your Dragon. Set 5 years after the events of the first film, the script has grown up too, very much like its enchanting lead characters- Hiccup and Toothless. At the same time, it is human creativity to the max- a superb 3D fantasy ride that will leave you breathless.
"This is Berk," Hiccup says. "Life here is amazing. Dragons used to be a bit of a problem. But now they've all moved in."
In a world of temperamental dragons and unreasonable humans, patient and reasonable Hiccup and non fire breathing Toothless were both misfits. Yet their relationship changed the world- this we saw at the end of the first movie. This one starts off in thrilling style, with Hiccup's friends engaging in a juvenile dragon race, which is a cross between basketball and buzkashi. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) however, prefers prosaic activities such as skimming with the whales, trying his hand at gliding, and in general running away from the leadership role that his father, Stoic the Vast (Gerard Butler), wants him to don. In one of his expeditions, he comes across a vast horde of dragons, and meets the source of his dragon whispering skills- his long lost mother, Valka (Cate Blanchett). Toothless meanwhile is no longer a pet, he and Hiccup are but one soul. There is a power hungry villain, Drago (Djimon Honsou) in the horizon though, who wants to build and commandeer a dragon army. Hiccup and Toothless must overcome personal loss and fight their heart out to save what they have so painstakingly built.
The magic of How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the way director Dean DeBlois is able to create a mood of intimacy and awesomeness. First the visuals- the dragon flying scenes are absolutely marvelous- dragons soar, swivel, dive and spit fire in enthralling fashion. The action sequences are full of subtle gags that require a second viewing to fully appreciate, and the imagination and detail that has gone in the design of a million dragons on screen is mind-boggling (no two dragons are the same). Then the emotive elements- there are genuinely scary moments, major characters have to deal with death and treachery, and there is a rekindling of a love story between people long lost. The visuals and the emotions come together with rare fluency to create a joyful, immersive 3D experience. The voice acting by all the stars is very good too, in addition to the racy musical score.
Children will most likely be immersed in all the visual frenzy, but will also ask questions- this is a film that will make them think too. At the heart of every animated movie is the message. Here it is about the symbiotic relationship that humans have with animals, and the thought that we need to make our own destiny. Recommended for all ages- 9/10