Saw 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'
I've been super-excited about this movie eversince it was announced. It's released here on the 2nd of July but our local cinema is having avant-premiere showings all week so I got to see it last night.
As expected from Dreamworks, the animation was absolutely gorgeous. They continue to beat Disney in that regards. There was just so much stuff to look at. I'm sure that when I rewatch it, I'll see things I missed the first time.
The story is set 5 years after the first movie. Story-wise, I would love to say that it's stronger than the first movie. In fact, I would say that the first and second acts are stronger story-wise. Unfortunately, the third act/ending left me a bit dissatisfied.
I know that not everyone is going to agree with me but I felt that Stoick's death was unnecessary. It's an emotional scene, no doubt about it. But it also felt like a cheap ploy to evoke emotions. We had already established that Drago was a monster from his previous actions.
If it as meant to unite our heroes in fighting Drago, then again, it wasn't necessary. They were already firmly united against him in order to save their dragons.
Granted, I thought the 'Toothless turning on Hiccup' was an incredibly powerful scene. It literally made me sit up and fill me with a sense of dread. It really drove home the point that Hiccup is not the know-it-all of dragons.
As awesome as the fight between the Alpha and Toothless was, I can't help but feel a little disappointed by it. Toothless beating the Alpha is the equivalent of a 1 month old lion cub challenging a adult lion for dominance, beating him and becoming the pack leader. It made no sense to me.
Also, I was kinda hoping to see Astrid end up as Chief of Berk. I felt like the story was sorta building up to it. It was clear that Hiccup was more like his mother and that dragons are his true passions. Astrid obviously wanted to lead the village. She even said that she'd be honoured if she was. If the movie had given her a couple of scenes to develop/prove her leadership skills, I would've been very happy to see Hiccup deciding to follow Valka's footsteps and telling Stoick to elect Astrid as chief.
I loved how Dreamworks made an effort to age up everyone. It was great seeing all the characters we know and love again. Even the newer characters were great and I enjoyed all of them. Character interactions is another one of Dreamworks' strong points. You really care for these characters. I laughed so hard with Ruffnut and Eret.
So have you seen it? If so, what did you think?
As expected from Dreamworks, the animation was absolutely gorgeous. They continue to beat Disney in that regards. There was just so much stuff to look at. I'm sure that when I rewatch it, I'll see things I missed the first time.
The story is set 5 years after the first movie. Story-wise, I would love to say that it's stronger than the first movie. In fact, I would say that the first and second acts are stronger story-wise. Unfortunately, the third act/ending left me a bit dissatisfied.
I know that not everyone is going to agree with me but I felt that Stoick's death was unnecessary. It's an emotional scene, no doubt about it. But it also felt like a cheap ploy to evoke emotions. We had already established that Drago was a monster from his previous actions.
If it as meant to unite our heroes in fighting Drago, then again, it wasn't necessary. They were already firmly united against him in order to save their dragons.
Granted, I thought the 'Toothless turning on Hiccup' was an incredibly powerful scene. It literally made me sit up and fill me with a sense of dread. It really drove home the point that Hiccup is not the know-it-all of dragons.
As awesome as the fight between the Alpha and Toothless was, I can't help but feel a little disappointed by it. Toothless beating the Alpha is the equivalent of a 1 month old lion cub challenging a adult lion for dominance, beating him and becoming the pack leader. It made no sense to me.
Also, I was kinda hoping to see Astrid end up as Chief of Berk. I felt like the story was sorta building up to it. It was clear that Hiccup was more like his mother and that dragons are his true passions. Astrid obviously wanted to lead the village. She even said that she'd be honoured if she was. If the movie had given her a couple of scenes to develop/prove her leadership skills, I would've been very happy to see Hiccup deciding to follow Valka's footsteps and telling Stoick to elect Astrid as chief.
I loved how Dreamworks made an effort to age up everyone. It was great seeing all the characters we know and love again. Even the newer characters were great and I enjoyed all of them. Character interactions is another one of Dreamworks' strong points. You really care for these characters. I laughed so hard with Ruffnut and Eret.
So have you seen it? If so, what did you think?