This was lovely. On par with the first movie, IMO. Toothless and Hiccup's friendship is adorable and makes these movies hard to dislike. Also, the visuals are GORGEOUS once again and the 3D is actually merited. It took a lot of surprising twists and turns in the third act that I wasn't expecting. If you were a fan of the first I can't see you disliking this one. A-

yawn

Loved it! Hope it can have as good WOM as the first as it is as good, if not better than the first.

Loved the score again though it was pretty familiar. I'm sure they used the same motif which I don't think hurt it.

A

I am so disappointed in this. I was excited for it because I really enjoyed the first and read it improved upon the original. Maybe my expectations were too high but I didn't find that to be the case at all. I found it incredibly dull. The animation was beautiful and there were a few good scenes though.

C

I'm sorry you didn't like it.

I know how it feels to have movies you've been anticipating let you down.

Thankfully, as my review obviously states, I loved it and it exceeded my expectations. I went in with more of a "Well, it can't be as good as HTTYD" and also the trailer wasn't as good as HTTYD and had fucking spoilers, plus family a la Madagascar 2 and KFP2, like is that the only storyline Dreamworks knows how to tell??? But it blew me away.

I've seen plenty of good TV spots for this that don't ruin the spoiler.

Yet they still decided to do it in the trailers. Makes no sense.

Two D's already?

lol many invisible trolls on these forums.

Probably you. We know how much you hate movies.

I was the exact opposite. I really enjoyed the first (I believe I gave it a B, though I haven't seen it since theaters) and had no expectations for the sequel. After reviews came out my expectations got higher. That being said, even if I didn't have high expectations I don't think I would have enjoyed it much. It really was a beautiful looking film, I just found it so dull and it was hard to sit through. I will say the girl character that liked the guy was hysterical though. The slow motion shot of her saying "TAKE ME!" made me laugh hard.

Glad you weren't disappointed by it though!

I absolutely loved it.

The first film has become my favorite CG animated film, and found its way into my favorite Top 5 films. So needless to say, I was really, really looking forward to this one and I'd say it was my most anticipated film perhaps ever. I watched it twice today. And I wasn't let down, not one tiny bit!

The animation is beautiful, the best Dreamworks has ever done. The scene, 'Toothless Lost' (when Hiccup encounters Valka for the first time in the clouds) was very atmospheric and mysterious. All of the scenic moments and backdrops were beautiful, and seeing the concept art of many locations or scenes that air during the credits displays the animators artistic skill here. You get this feeling that there is still so much to see in this adventurous world the filmmakers have crafted. And the general detail of the character's features, costumes, and movements were excellent.

Character wise... the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless remains very special, and are the heart of these films. Astrid's character grew, becoming more audacious. Snotlout and Fishlegs still need more development, though the two of them trying to win Ruffnut's affections was amusing, but not nearly as much as Ruffnut's goggling over Eret, son of Eret. And speaking of Eret, son of Eret, he was a nice addiction to the cast and I'm glad he'll become a regular, or so it seems anyway. Valka was the best new character, though, and despite being such an ardent dragon defender, leaving her own home (albeit not by choice) but choosing to leave her family behind for 20 years, still had a change of heart. Drago served as a strong villain and thankfully avoided becoming a.. I guess a "sympathetic" character after revealing he lost his family and arm to dragons. He didn't show any sort of redemption quality or remorse from his actions, and thankfully wasn't swayed by Hiccup's persuasion.

And it was really, really hard not to listen to the soundtrack before seeing the film. I almost always listen to a movie's soundtrack before seeing or deciding to see the movie itself, and I'm so glad I exercised my self-control here.

The original soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites, and this soundtrack borrows the familiar themes of it while introducing some new compositions that are just as amazing, too. "Toothless Found" is a largely new work, my favorite from the new film, and it's truly epic. The scene where it plays is also perfect, capturing the partnership between Hiccup and Toothless so very well (when Hiccup reaches out to Toothless before he awakens and challenges the Alpha). The Highland bagpipes utilized in 'Hiccup Confronts Drago' (when the Alpha takes control of Toothless) were menacing. 'Stoick's Ship' is stirring, and 'For the Dancing and the Dreaming' was very warming, joyful, and provided one of the film's best scenes.

And two great examples of improved rearrangements, include 'Dragon Race' and 'Flying with Mother', which in my opinion, are even better than 'This is Berk'/'Test Drive', two of the best scores from the original soundtrack. The re-harmonizing and the inclusion of the choir in 'Flying Mother' was excellent, and it's definitely one of my favorites from either soundtrack.

In the end, I found it to be a perfect sequel that progresses the story, doesn't play it safe while still providing plenty of excitement, a sense of wonder, and plenty of heart. (A)

very disappointing. the moviegoing public agrees with me with a shockingly low opening weekend. those dreamworks animation movies are all the same crap.

D

lol

As with many others, I highly enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon in 2010. I have not revisited it since, but it played as an atmospheric, rousing, and largely serious animated adventure film, refreshing in its refusal to rely on dated-by-year's-end cultural references or nonstop scatological humor. This delayed sequel, however, proved a torturous sit for me. It is dull, even ugly, in every area where the prior film is enchanting and muscular. The franchise's core relationship (uncertain, but courageous future chief Hiccup and his tamed Night Fury dragon, Toothless) is fractured here: the human becomes a disapproving, self-absorbed, whining presence while his dragon is more often than not pushed to the sideline. The follow-up contracts rather than expands the universe by focusing on deadly boring family dynamics and repetitive, militaristic storytelling. And the sequences of dragon flight and combat are edited too heavily, undermining the intended exhilaration of freedom and motion. There are, I concede, a handful of exciting and/or hilarious moments involving beautiful, but peripheral dragons, and composer John Powell, who received an Oscar nomination for the first film, once again provides an elegant and buoyant original score with a certain charming Highlands lilt, but this is otherwise an unfortunate dud.

D

Oh, I thought this shit was closing up shop with the father's funeral. I felt...dismayed upon realizing there was a fair amount still to come.

On thing I've learned through these years is how radical David is with these animated flicks



This made me laugh

Have you even seen it Brian?

You're incredibly predictable anyway but why you need to gloat is beyond me.

As for David, I cannot understand his taste. It has grown more eclectic and contrarian over the years. Still, at least he's watched it and reviewed it unlike your incessant subtle jabs that fools no one.

It's good because it's moving. The scenes with Valka are all great and like the first film when people are flying and the score is pounding, it's an enjoyable animation opera experience. I liked the villain too, even though everything he did was evil, he still felt humane in a way to me.

With that said, it has a little bit of an identity crisis. It begins looking like a movie about Hiccup struggling with leadership growing pains, but he's away from the Vikings home base the entire film so it doesn't feel as important as a theme. Hiccup and Astrid spend the whole film apart, leaving some plot there on the table. Valka by the middle of the film feels like the most important plot in the movie, but the last act doesn't depend at all on her or the decision to leave Hiccup 20 years ago. My only other complaint is the humor in the film is just not that natural. The jokes with the blonde Viking and her suitors/the trapper, fall flat. Understandable why they tried to stuff humor in, but it's not the film's strength.

Still, I liked it a lot. Easily one of the most beautifully animated films to date.

You are wrong again as expected, I' m not a hater like you who loathes and judges everything without giving a chance, and let me tell you, I watched it yesterday and I enjoyed what I saw, also I believe I had a better experience on it than I had with the first movie

And if you reread all my posts about HTTYD2, you'll realise that all them have been about its BO, none of them criticize its quality

PS: I have not written anything about it 'cause I'll have to watch it again on Saturday due to my siblings

Stop hating!

Did anyone else get Lancelot vibes from Eret? Hiccup better keep on eye on his girl.

What's this from? King Arthur? Did Lancelot steal Arthur's wife?

Yes, his affair with Guinevere cause much discord among the Round Table set.

I loved the first, but found this tedious. It felt like an extended episode of the TV series that I've never actually seen. Very dull and hard to sit through.

D+

Kinda like reading your posts.

I'm surprised by how close I am to agreeing with David on this one (I often do, actually, but his review here seemed harsh). This lacked the sense of emotional intimacy of the first, storyline was meh, and all-around rather disappointing. C