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1. China Rose 02.06.15 / 2pm

   Clever way to say so much as a giveaway to this story. Okay now cover your ears and eyes if you can;t take the pressure of the higher stratosphere. It could be perceived as gimmicky and in that way be a metaphor to mirror this film, if that was your point.

   I can say that I made it through all of …Dragons 2 but I did not feel it made it over the bar it set for itself in the first film. Unfortunately it fell victim to the sequel pandemic of being too predictable. It did not have the same verve and zeal of the 1st film that brought rogue elements together.

   As a 2nd class sequence to a marvelous film, numero uno now looks to be a stand alone event. Why? The first reason is that it seems to fall back to a very youthful audience and I couldn’t help but wonder… Is this just for kids?

   For me much of the narrative felt contrived but even worse over written. The betrayals, the heroics and even the son discovering his mother seemed like Shakespeare on caffeine.

   I kept getting the sense that too many writers in a room kept throwing out ideas and stitching them together. The narrative lacked a clear, convincing and cohesive voice.

   Unlike the original first film that had excellent, powerful internal workings and dynamics coursing through the veins, this was limp and jaundice. Number two was all show (powerful animation and special effects with animation) and no go.

   I could see what was coming from a mile away. It felt modeled after Shakespeare as a fall back point to craft a conflict and find a foothold. Instead of finding its own path the emotional content felt estolar. In my estimation if a dragon loses lift in either his flight patterns or his dialogue it just feels brutal.

   The special effects were hyper aggressive to make up for it which through the pitch and tone off balance. Had it been less aggressive would it be more impressive? No. A story needs a story and without it, it spends it’s time on screen looking lost.

   And I do realize what goes into a animated film, its hard work. But like all films with wooden actors or puppets where you can see the strings its important to give each character a life and a role and hold them to it.

   In this plot I couldn’t help but feel as though I got yanked by a chain myself. After falling in love with the voice, the style, the wit, the charm and of course the dragons in the first installment this felt like word jumble that is suppose to mix and match the roles.

   Characters got shifted form who they were to someone else. Every persona was a turnaround, being shuffled from bad to good, then and good to bad and then just dark and drooling. I guess you can add one twisty Bob to the pool for a little zesty juxtaposition-ing but when everyone shifts off their center plane of their self, its awkward. Its a bi-polar bear not a dragon.

   When a film lacks something that’s tough to define it’s usually missing cohesion in the storyline. Like a cake that looks good but is still doughy in the middle part. I’m not sure how they can pull their bacon out of this fire for number three after they done burnt all those bridges down. But if its just for kids I suppose they will not worry about the script and just focus on the mayhem sans magic.
2. Magali Vautrin 02.07.15 / 3pm

   I feel that since Shrek 1&2 there was no animation movie that was created for both, children and adults. Animations film nowadays are really dedicated to children , but when it is released, half of the audience is adult, so maybe there is some progress to do on that ….
3. Logan Kovarick 02.13.15 / 4pm

   Very creative review! And wow! That comment up there could be its own review!
4. Catalina Laughrin 07.30.15 / 12pm

   I was wary about watching the alleged sequel of “How to Train Your Dragon” but Dean DeBlois truly brings back the magic that he brought with the first film in a whole new way. “How to Train Your Dragon 2” offers tons of new character development, along with a new plot twist that will guarantee any young kid, or family to enjoy! Asides from the major themes of heroism and journeys, there lies the themes of love and an emphasis towards family and building relationships. I enjoyed your review; it was very clever and done in a way I’ve never seen before. Great job at structuring it in a way that illustrates the plot of the movie!
5. Emma Thorstensen 11.10.16 / 12pm

   Such a great way to review a film! Both fun reading and really creative! Made me want to rewatch the movie!

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