How To Train Your Dragon II: Movie Review

How To Train a Dragon II Review

from dippost.com

Ages:  4-10 (there are a few scary parts and frightening bad guys).  If your kids have been raised on PBS, Disney, and Nick Jr, 4 is the youngest I would go.

 Summary- Hiccup, the dragon trainer and adolescent introvert, stumbles upon a bad guy trying to take over the world with dragons (and hurting them while he does it).  Hiccup also finds his mother.  Lots of action and fighting ensue.  A tragic death, a boy’s rise to become a man and a leader of his people, and a friendship for the ages all are included.  Funny parts too, with all of Hiccup’s friends.

Opinion- When I got see a movie, I like to see engagement from the kids.  I also like to see a fast moving story line that will prepare them for future and important story lines.  I also like character development, funniness, and a few jokes for me.  I do not want to see bad messages passed along quietly like everyone has to fall in love, heroes have to be strong, and violence pays off.  I also like good music and cool looking backgrounds.

All of that being said, I thought How To Train a Dragon II delivered.  I hadn’t seen the first one, so that took a few minutes with the medieval names and all the dragons.  The kids and I picked things up pretty quickly.

The story introduced who the characters were in an exciting way.  I liked the themes of respecting nature and animals (in this case, dragons).  Though “finding your birth mom” is as old as the hills, it was okay in this one, as it was a manner to explore how to respect nature.

I also liked the way Hiccup, the main character, tried to “talk things out.”  We could use a little more talking out in our house.

In terms of connections to future stories, I like the Lion king/Hamlet rise of Hiccup and Toothless (Hiccup’s dragon).  I’d love to see a national leader like Hiccup.

A side comment: I’ve seen 3D movies now several times (this one wasn’t).  I like the backdrops and the artistic flair of this movie far more than any 3D movie I have seen this year.  Cool colors, lots of depth.

Hiccup and the rest of the characters changes throughout the story.  The funny characters, of course, stay the same and are funny.  Really was able to track that with my 4 year olds.
 

Rating- I had low expectations because I hadn’t seen the first movie.  I thought it ended up to be an energetic and neat movie.  The kids were totally into it.

Official Preview from Youtube