PLOT:
As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.
REVIEW:
What did I like?
Growth. Over the years this franchise has been going, we have seen the characters grow and mature which, for animation is exceptionally rare. Just look at The Simpsons, they’ve been stuck in basically the same character arcs since the show started back in 1989, with slight tweaks now and then. Watching Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of this lot come into their own in this final film of the trilogy knowing what a ragtag bunch of misfits they were in the first film is something these filmmakers should pat themselves on the back for accomplishing and, above all, making it believable!
Scenery. When I log on to my computer everyday, there is a different beautiful bit of scenery from around the world. Today, I think it was Jackson Hole, WY. While animation cannot quite capture nature’s beauty, when they go all out and do it well, it can take you breath away, just the same. In the 3rd act of the film, Hiccup and Astrid head down the titular Hidden World and we are treated to a visual feast. Not only are there multiple species of dragons, but the colorful rocks, stalactites and such will have your jaw on the ground!
Specimen. With each film, there have been more and more dragons added. Keeping track of them is a challenge, but I am sure someone has taken the time to catalogue them all. Where they find the time, I have no idea! What I like about the dragons, though, is each one is different. Even those that are of the same species seem to be different. Take for instance Toothless and the light fury. She seems to have more abilities/powers than he does, yet he has more power…of course, he IS the alpha, after all.
What didn’t I like?
Mating ritual. I get it, I get it! The mating ritual between Toothless and the Light Fury was meant to be cute and help solidify their relationship. I just felt it went on way too long….and it happened twice!!! They could have cut some of that out and it wouldn’t have hurt a thing. One can only see Toothless make a fool of himself for this seemingly unlikable female opposite of him so many times before you are ready to move on.
Grim villain. Is it me, or has every villain in these movies been out to capture dragons? Grimmel, voiced by F. Murray Abraham, may be the least threatening. Not because he doesn’t get results, but because he is more reserved about the way he does things. Someone said he is more like a Bond villain…cold and calculating. While there is nothing wrong with that, personally I feel this film needed a flashier villain.
The voice. There is nothing he can do about it, really, but Jay Baruchel’s voice got on my last nerve. Dude is now the chief of this village, shouldn’t he have some bass in his voice and stop talking out of his nose? One of the characters even mentions this to him. Yes, this one of the things that sets him apart from everyone else, but I can imagine at some point watching the entire trilogy and his voice will become like nails on a chalkboard when I get to this one, if not before.
Final verdict: For some reason, I wasn’t feeling this today. That isn’t to say this wasn’t a good film. I enjoyed it, but the love wasn’t there. It was sort of like watching something on YouTube and then doing something else in another window. Also, the audience was much older than what i expected for this film. I think there may have been 2 kids in there, maybe 3. The rest were my age or older. Anyway, this is an enjoyable, well made film that is a fitting end for this trilogy. If you are an emotional person, I highly recommend you bring your tissues, because the end will choke you up. This is definitely worth a shot, especially if you can check it out at the theater in 3D.
4 out of 5 stars
Mystery Man's Musings 