How To Train Your Dragon 2

Always a fan of brilliant animation, I was very excited to see the second instalment of How To Train Your Dragon. This film, set 5 years after the first, allows us the chance to revisit some hilarious and well conceived characters. And of course, the return of Toothless and his puppy-like charm!

The film opened and closed with a voice over. Always an interesting decision to make but ultimately it neither hindered nor improved the story telling of the film. Hiccup recaps the last five years of life in Berk and how things have drastically changed to the conditions seen in the first film. Now, dragons and Vikings live in peace and have adopted each other as pets and owners. I do enjoy when a film revisits previous episodes as it helps the audience re-engage with the story and the characters. But the voice over at the end felt a little too 'brave heart' for me. For someone who normally loves a happy ending and a real conclusion, it was just an obvious reminder that the film was for children. It felt immature and very Disney (even though it was Dreamworks Animation who created the film. An animation studio that has, so often in the past, made fun of Disney).

My main gripe about this film, and its predecessor, was the accents. Vikings are typically Scandinavian but were portrayed in this film as being Celtic, either Scottish or Irish. And then their is Hiccup, our protagonist and hero! His accent is obviously that of Jay Baruchel, a Canadian actor who clearly was either told not to change his voice or simply didn't bother. His character supposedly from a Scottish father and a Scottish/Irish mixed Mother has an accent better suited in the 21st Century. I haven't delved much into the creation of either film, so I don't know if there was thought behind this decision. I, as a Scot, found it distracting and annoying. If you're not going to make your Viking's Scandinavian, then at least make the accents consistent!

The animation was superb in this film. With hundreds of new species of dragons on screen in all shapes, sizes and colours, there were moments of real artistic beauty. My only regret was seeing the film in 2D instead of 3D. I think 3D could have enhanced the experience but it was still wonderful in 2D. I watched the first film at home on my computer months ago, so I missed many of the subtle markings on the dragons and on the faces of characters. It was nice to see the sequel on a big screen and to see all of the things I had missed before. If anything, this proves that watching a movie at home is nowhere near as good as watching one in a cinema.

Without spoiling the film, there was one particular moment that hit me hard. It involves Hiccup's father and for some reason I couldn't stop a small tear and squeeze of my dates hand. Whenever films explore the relationship between father and child, I become a blubbering mess. I suppose it's a sign of my love for my Dad and how much I value him in my life. Blah blah blah emotions. The film was good - go see it in 3D!