Major SPOILERS will follow. Suggestion: if you want to remain spoiler-free, don't watch the official trailer either. It's neat but spoils every single plot development.
A bit of background: I love the first movie and the animated series Riders of Berk and Race to the Edge - check them out. I was lukewarm about the second film, which wasn't by all means bad and boasted impressive visuals but lacked the charm of its predecessor for me.
This third movie is the conclusion of the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless; I would rate it lower than the first but higher than the second.
Positives first. The film looks amazing, the most beautiful How to Train Your Dragon entry. Visuals, animation and set-pieces are top-notch.
John Powell provides another lovely score, although I doubt he will ever create something as astounding as his soundtrack for the first film, which ranks among the best of recent movie history for me.
Character-wise, the rest of the gang has a bit more to do than in the second film, although Hic, Astrid, Toothless and the new Light Fury get most of the screentime. The new villain Grimmel, with his malicious playfulness, is an improvement over Drago Bludvist, who was something of a blunt instrument. The design of the new "evil" dragons (the Deathgrippers) is effective.
Here is my major issue with The Hidden World. The bittersweet ending was an excellent idea on paper but the execution, while competent, could have been better. The separation between the young hero and his dragon feels contrived, since the protagonists have just relocated to a larger island and dealt a devastating defeat to their enemies.
I find this kind of bittersweet conclusion works better if there is a sort of inevitability to it - like in Toy Story 3, which pulled it off perfectly, or even The Jungle Book fifty years ago, where Mowgli *really* had to choose between staying with his animal friends or living with other humans. This one, for all its emotional background, feels forced.
Even worse, it doesn't work thematically with the beautiful moral of the first How to Train Your Dragon (and the series), which was about understanding, integration and mutual enrichment. So humans and dragons CAN'T really live together, after all - each species for itself: the cool flying reptiles are shipped off by the screenwriters to their bioluminescent realm and Vikings return to their ancient costumes.
In fact, the over-crowded, chaotic Berk seen in the first act looks like something straight out of the predictions of Mildew, the dragon-hating bigot from Riders of Berk. So the petty minor villain was right all along?
And yes, it is sad when the dragons leave, but you're just cashing in on an already established relationship. I did like the epilogue with a mature Hic meeting Toothless again, both of them with their respective families.
Another thing, this time not a major flaw, just something I noticed. The movie, like the second one, completely ignores the excellent TV series. For example, there are hordes of dragons onscreen and I don't think I saw *one* of the dozens invented by the show. It feels like the film went out of its way to deliberately avoid any possible reference, even minor. Weird.
Overall, The Hidden World is a compelling adventure, both amusing and touching. A solid conclusion, although I can't help but feel underwhelmed. Maybe the gem that was the first movie was just too much to live up to.
7/10
A bit of background: I love the first movie and the animated series Riders of Berk and Race to the Edge - check them out. I was lukewarm about the second film, which wasn't by all means bad and boasted impressive visuals but lacked the charm of its predecessor for me.
This third movie is the conclusion of the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless; I would rate it lower than the first but higher than the second.
Positives first. The film looks amazing, the most beautiful How to Train Your Dragon entry. Visuals, animation and set-pieces are top-notch.
John Powell provides another lovely score, although I doubt he will ever create something as astounding as his soundtrack for the first film, which ranks among the best of recent movie history for me.
Character-wise, the rest of the gang has a bit more to do than in the second film, although Hic, Astrid, Toothless and the new Light Fury get most of the screentime. The new villain Grimmel, with his malicious playfulness, is an improvement over Drago Bludvist, who was something of a blunt instrument. The design of the new "evil" dragons (the Deathgrippers) is effective.
Here is my major issue with The Hidden World. The bittersweet ending was an excellent idea on paper but the execution, while competent, could have been better. The separation between the young hero and his dragon feels contrived, since the protagonists have just relocated to a larger island and dealt a devastating defeat to their enemies.
I find this kind of bittersweet conclusion works better if there is a sort of inevitability to it - like in Toy Story 3, which pulled it off perfectly, or even The Jungle Book fifty years ago, where Mowgli *really* had to choose between staying with his animal friends or living with other humans. This one, for all its emotional background, feels forced.
Even worse, it doesn't work thematically with the beautiful moral of the first How to Train Your Dragon (and the series), which was about understanding, integration and mutual enrichment. So humans and dragons CAN'T really live together, after all - each species for itself: the cool flying reptiles are shipped off by the screenwriters to their bioluminescent realm and Vikings return to their ancient costumes.
In fact, the over-crowded, chaotic Berk seen in the first act looks like something straight out of the predictions of Mildew, the dragon-hating bigot from Riders of Berk. So the petty minor villain was right all along?
And yes, it is sad when the dragons leave, but you're just cashing in on an already established relationship. I did like the epilogue with a mature Hic meeting Toothless again, both of them with their respective families.
Another thing, this time not a major flaw, just something I noticed. The movie, like the second one, completely ignores the excellent TV series. For example, there are hordes of dragons onscreen and I don't think I saw *one* of the dozens invented by the show. It feels like the film went out of its way to deliberately avoid any possible reference, even minor. Weird.
Overall, The Hidden World is a compelling adventure, both amusing and touching. A solid conclusion, although I can't help but feel underwhelmed. Maybe the gem that was the first movie was just too much to live up to.
7/10