After nine eventful years of TV shows, merchandise, and films, The How To Train Your Dragon series has finally arrived to the end of it’s successful run. I’ve always been a fan of the franchise. It’s easily one of DreamWorks most ambitious and entertaining ventures, delivering great morals and re-watchable plots (for the most part) in each and every one of the TV show episodes and films. Although I wasn’t all that much of fan of the sequel, How To Train Your Dragon 2, due to it’s overbearing run time and lackluster plot twists, the franchise is still a strong one at heart, and will always maintain its ferocious viking spirit.
With the final film, nearing closer with every passing day, before it hits North American theaters, I reminisce in the thought of the franchise, and how, myself, a little boy at the time, who loved animated flicks, casually grew up with the saga, subconsciously being attached with the material. I have to say that the final film, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, is a quaint little perfect send off to a heartwarming series.
The final installment of the franchise is nothing new. Just like the second film in the series, the plot is nearly identical to its predecessor, with an exception of it’s newly introduced characters and grand epic scope. In fact, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is more of a mayflower story, rather than an epic send off. The film is one that focuses on the migration of a group, with a positive progressive ideas, who are being constantly threatened and terrorized by an all too familiar opposing force. The story is nothing new, including the albino villain’s predictable and cookie cutter motivations. It’s more so the execution of the film, with the minimal scope and charming visual set pieces which makes the franchise so memorable to begin with.
Even if I have my occasional gripes with some of the comedy featured in the film, relying more on gross out childish gags that most often misses than hits, the morals, as previously stated, is what keeps the film afloat. Hiccup is a role model we need more of in children’s entertainment nowadays. A born leader with flaws and demeanor, that will always choose a peaceful way of dealing with opposing forces, rather than violence, or for that matter, customary viking murder. The film may occasionally have some technical flaws, such as weak lighting (more specifically in artificial environments) and an overused musical score. However, when comes down to the bare essentials, the grand finale to this beautiful saga sets out what it want to do, and it exceeds its customary goals.
How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World may not be as good as the original film. However, as a passion project from Canadian director Dean DeBlois, it’s an ambitious, heartwarming film, that’s more than just serviceable entertainment. We can now rest in peace, knowing that DreamWorks has made the correct executive call, where the How To Train Your Dragon series has finally run its course, and ended at the most precise and perfect moment possible. Cheers to the legacy of dragons!
How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World opens Nationwide February 21st
On The Clock 