How to Train Your Dragon 2

Film Review by Becky Bartlett | 14 Jul 2014
Film title: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Director: Dean DeBlois
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Kit Harrington
Release date: 11 Jul
Certificate: U

Following the smash success of How to Train Your Dragon, this sequel – part coming-of-age tale, part family drama, part aerial war movie – fast-forwards a few years. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is now a stubbly-faced young adult, and the dragons and humans now live in harmony together. Soon, however, this peaceful co-existence is threatened by villainous Drago (Djimon Hounsou), who plans to dominate with a dragon army, while Hiccup's long-lost mother (Cate Blanchett) reappears to further confuse matters.

Despite largely irrelevant 3D, the visuals are impressive, particularly during the numerous flying sequences but, as before, the dragons are the film's main draw. Toothless remains adorably feline – early scenes of mundane exposition and human drama are upstaged by the playful interactions of the characters’ dragon counterparts – but the plot is weak, with the film lacking clear focus and direction. Hiccup's mum is quickly sidelined – even worse, towards the end so is Toothless. Perfectly adequate as light entertainment, nevertheless it fails to excite or surprise the way its predecessor did.