How to Train Your Dragon 2 Review

Grade: D
One-Liner: After the dragons have been trained, what's the point?

There comes a point in everyone's life when they realize that not every moment is noteworthy or lifechanging. In the case of How to Train Your Dragon 2, that point lingered for about 80 of the highly-anticipated sequel's 100 minutes.

Sadly no one seemed to put in the proper amount of thought that bringing back Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his best pal Toothless required. The Dreamworks-animated film — while still visually appealing — fell flat in plot, script, and character development.

The story began five years after we last left the vikings in Berk with a new appreciation of their former dragon enemies. Thanks to Hiccup, the island thrived, with man and dragon becoming one unified community. Unfortunately the audience is only given a few short minutes of this appealing new society before being forcibly thrust into a far less interesting tale involving Hiccup's quest to save his homeland and the introduction of his elusive mother.

Valka, voiced by Cate Blanchett, abandoned her husband and child for 20 years to become some strange dragon whisperer. Her explanation for the betrayal was almost as weak as her ambiguous accent. It was as if the Aussie spent the entirety of the film deciding which homeland she was trying to emulate. Regrettably her history dominated much of the plotline with Hiccup and Astrid's unexplained and unengaging love story coming in at a close second.

For some unexplainable reason, the film chose to dim the lights on its most colorful, vivid characters — the playful and loyal Toothless, and Hiccup's pals Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig), Tuffnut (T.J. Miller), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), and Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) — leaving much more one-dimensional substitutes.

The story seemed rushed and unworthy of an intricately-animated blockbuster. It was like someone had eaten the icing-covered top off a cupcake and left me with the stale bottom of the barrel. And even Toothless can enjoy the sugary splendor that is the tasty pull of a good story held up by well-crafted characters.