How to Train Your Dragon 3: Hidden World Movie Review
3.5 out of 5
When the original How to Train Your Dragon hit theaters in 2010, I remember thinking it was a far better and more impressive movie than Avatar which had come out just a few months prior, and was winning rave reviews for its technological advances. For my money the flying scenes from the two movies were awesome — but I really believed Dragon was better.
How to Train Your Dragon 2, a rare sequel that was just as good, if not better than the original, was released in 2014. And now with a show on TV, and movies that have a real following — we get How to Train Your Dragon 3: Hidden World. Even though it is billed as the conclusion to the series — it’s hard to believe we won’t see another film, or some sort of off shoot from the original characters. There’s just too much money to be made. And if my young nephews (who believe since I get the privilege to do movie reviews, I can talk directly to the movie studios), are any indication of the fandom out there, they shouldn’t stop. They both told me to tell the movie people, “Please tell them to keep making these movies, we don’t want them to stop.” So, movie people, you’ve been told.
Hidden World picks up with all of the same characters living in harmony with Dragons in their beloved Isle of Berk, as they continue their mission to free all of the dragons across the world. Of course, there are many Vikings who don’t see the benefit or possibility of humans and dragons co-existing, so Hiccup and his friends still have an uphill battle and are increasingly squeezed for space in their village. As Hiccup and Toothless work to free dragons, a group of marauders call on a vicious and terrifying dragon hunter called, Grimmel, whose specialty is killing Night Fury dragons, like Toothless. Using a vast fleet of ships and sheer cunning, along with a female version of Toothless (known as a Light Fury) as bait, Grimmel’s goal is to destroy Toothless, taking away the Alpha Dragon and making it easier to destroy the rest of the dragon population. After Hiccup and his friends are outsmarted in nearly every encounter with Grimmel, Hiccup remembers his father’s pursuit of a hidden dragon world at the edge of the world. He believes if he can find it, then perhaps his people and the dragons can disappear from those who would do them harm. With Grimmel, his henchmen and even a few dragons he controls with a mind controlling drug hot on their tails, Hiccup does his best to convince the villagers they must leave Berk and fight for their survival long enough to find the hidden world and escape.
If this is indeed the conclusion of the Dragon franchise, it ends on a high note. The story has echoes of the second film, but is still a strong addition to the first two, and again — my two nephews thought it should probably win a few awards. As with the previous two films, the animation in this movie is just incredible. The flying sequences will genuinely cause you to feel butterflies in your stomach at times, the same way a roller coaster will. In addition, the overall appearance just continues to get better and better. Even to the point, where you can see the little hairs on characters’ faces and arms. It’s just amazing at times how lifelike things appear. It won’t take long for you to forget you’re watching an animated film, and get lost in the story and imagery. For whatever reason, these films haven’t seemed to garner the attention of other franchises like Toy Story, Shrek, Despicable Me, and The Incredibles, but they should. The stories, acting, animation and way they draw you in are just as strong. If you haven’t had a chance, rent the first two films, then go see this movie, and see if you don’t agree when it’s all over.
How to Train Your Dragon 3: Hidden World is playing in theaters now and is rated PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor.
