Review of How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) by Diego M — 18 Jul 2015

I saw an advanced screening of this movie the other day and let me tell you, if you liked the first one, you'll definitely like this one as well. Fantastically animated and written, this movie expands on what the superb 1st installment did so well and also introduces a host of new characters, the vast majority of which work very well and are great additions to the favorites from the first film. The one that doesn't work so well is villain Drago Bludvist, but even he isn't a total loss, it's just that his motivations weren't as clear as they needed to be (and his voice actor was miscast - but that's just my opinion). The romantic subplots were not overdone, which I was thankful for, because the vast majority of the movie focuses on the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless. As many have already heard, their relationship is tested pretty severely in this one, and it's beautifully done. All of their interactions are the best parts of the movie in my opinion, and you'll definitely be invested in what's going on between them by the time the 2nd half rolls around. As animated sequels go, this is about as great as they come. Highly recommended.

UPDATE: After seeing this movie multiple more times and sitting with it for a bit, I've decided that while it's still a fantastic film and about as good as animated sequels come, it's still not quite as good as the first one was. Still, very highly recommended.