More of the same or better? Writer/director Dean DeBlois (How to Train Your Dragon films, Mulan) reintroduces the same fun characters but introduces a beautiful new one to make one dragon’s life more interesting. This is the third film based on the books by Cressida Cowell. It doesn’t matter but you probably know how it’s going to end before it starts.
Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless (with his expressive eyes and growls) in a colorfully animated sweet story, with more action to protect their overcrowded rescue shelter for dragons. It is their quest to find the Hidden World, which would be a safe haven for dragons that Hiccup’s father (Gerard Butler in flashbacks) believed existed and told him tales of when he was a boy.
DeBlois continues to find new ways of using the boundaries of technologies in animation with even more detail. You’ll see it in the packed vertical towers of housing and all the creatures that inhabit them in their ancestral home in the village of Berk. It’s particularly impressive when the towers fall like dominoes and flying flocks of dragons fill the sky flying en mass. This installment cost $129 million to make all those beautiful images.
The movement of wind blown hair and the fur of the garments worn by the Vikings is realistically stylized in this film. It all flows. And the eyes are more expressive. Actually the eyes of Toothless and his lady love, Light Fury, show more emotion than those of Hiccup, Astrid (Voiced by America Ferrera) and the other human characters.
The villain, Grimmel, (voiced by F. Murray Abraham), is an evil dragon slayer determined to kill Toothless and capture all of the other dragons. The film opens with a fiery battle to save their friends from being dragon-napped and caged on ships. The animation of the fire and water is dynamic. That opening scene sets the stage for conflict from the very beginning.
The cinematography by Gil Zimmerman was also enhanced by live action consultant Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049, Hail Caesar, Fargo, Skyfall). The with dragons flying straight into the camera, soaring and dropping, chasing and fighting keep your eyes moving all over the screen. Then there’s the massive migration to find the Hidden World which provides amazing visuals on land, sea and in the sky. The shades of emerald green flowing on the horizon depicting the Aurora Borealis are breathtaking.
Hiccup is the leader of the Berkians. Toothless is the Alpha male, or leader of the dragons. Hiccup treats him like a dog , but they’re best buds and equals. Astrid is Hiccup’s girlfriend who speaks her mind and keeps him in line. When will they tie the knot? Same for Toothless from the first time he lays eyes on Light Fury. His totally ivory counterpart female counterpart knocks him on his tail. Love at first sight?
Hiccup becomes like Cyrano de Bergerac coaching his buddy to make the right moves to win over the stunning female dragon. This time Hiccup is training his dragon in the ways of love. Something that Hiccup is still learning himself. There is a very cute, playful scene where Toothless and Light Fury do a mating dance and look into each other’s eyes where you actually see their eyes reflected in each other’s gaze.
The other recurring characters are back, but they felt a little bit stale. Jonah Hill as Snotlout, Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs, Craig Ferguson as Gobber and Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) as Eret feel more like filler and aren’t as funny as we think they could have been. Cate Blanchette returns as Valka, Hiccup’s mother, who is still every bit a warrior.
This is the end of the trilogy that has banked more than a billion dollars. It comes to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. The films are challenging technologically. Even DeBlois says they pushed the limit on the animation to get their stunning visuals. Even though story is not as challenging, the message is a good one. It’s about learning to co-exist and that when it’s time, let the ones you love take flight. The story may be lighter than air, but these dragons still provide a fun ride.
Universal Pictures 1 hour 44 minutes PG
