How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” exceeds expectations with its bittersweet ending
Spoiler Alert! Theis movie review contains possible spoilers of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a DreamWorks computer-animated fantasy film partially based on the original book series of the same title written by Cressida Cowell. The movie, directed by Dean DeBlois, is the sequel to How To Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014 and the last of the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy. It was released on February 22 in the US and March 2 in China.
Compared to the previous two films, this movie centers primarily on Toothless, the last Night Fury dragon and the dear friend of Hiccup the Viking, the protagonist who grows from an innocent boy to a mature adult in the movie trilogy. After defeating the king dragon-trapper Drago, Hiccup, now the chief of his village, turns his Viking society to a dragon utopia. He, his friends, and his mother, Valka, forms a group of dragon rescuers, and saves them from vicious dragon hunters. However, when the smartest dragon trapper Grimmel the Grizzly decides to hunt down Toothless, their mission of maintaining peace is at stake.
The highlight of the movie is undoubtedly the 3D animation. The scene where Toothless endeavors to court the female Light Fury he falls in love with is the best part of the film. With the underlying humor and the 3D animation techniques, DreamWorks successfully conveys Toothless’ nervousness and excitement to the audience. The detailed body movements of Toothless as he dances, turns around, and draws with a stick his future girlfriend’s face, add a dramatic, endearing effect to the film.
This finale of the trilogy focuses on Toothless’ perspective and the man versus dragon relationship. In the movie, Toothless grows up and experiences romance for the first time, and Hiccup lets him go to search for his future. Although the farewell scene is heavy and emotional, it also pushes the audience to realize the major theme of the movie: love is the greatest gift that one could ever own. DeBlois also explores other themes in this finale, such as pacifism, family relationships, and discrimination.
Despite the fact that some believe the fast pace of the plot makes the film seem like it skips over a chapter, the last installment of the trilogy has generally received a positive feedback on IGN and Rotten Tomatoes, where critics scored it 91/100. Also, the critics consent that the film “brings it saga to a visually dazzling and emotionally affecting conclusion” (Rotten Tomatoes). All in all, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has turned out to be a perfect movie for wholesome family entertainment.
Featured ImageHow To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World PosterPhoto Courtesy of boundingintocomics.com
by Selina Tai