Tuesday, June 24, 2014
'How to Train Your Dragon 2' (2014) directed by Dean DeBlois
In
2010 DreamWorks Animation was primarily known for their onslaught of
pop-culture referencing, celebrity-voiced kids films populated by
cute animals that all make
the same face. Compared to the lyricism and beauty of
Pixar's output, Dreamworks Animation was looking increasingly cynical and
commercially driven. Then How
to Train Your Dragon came
out. The marketing made it look like just another identikit CG kid's
flick, but soon people began to sit up and take notice: this was an
animated film with a soul; a story about enacting social change told
with a Miyazaki-esque fixation on the joy of flight and mysteries of
nature.
After
a slow start the film quickly benefited from excellent word of mouth
and now, after a few straight-to-DVD shorts, videogames and a TV
series, the franchise returns to the big screen with How To
Train Your Dragon 2. The big question: can DreamWorks
Animation catch lightning in a bottle twice?
Set
five years after the events of the original, we rejoin Hiccup and his
dragon, Toothless to find them older, wiser and more focussed. The
town of Berk, having gotten over its antagonistic relationship with
dragons, now lives in a state of happy symbiosis with them. Hiccup is now the de facto hero of the town, and his father Stoick eagerly
anticipates him taking the reins and becoming Chief.
 |
| Sample dialogue: "YEEEARRGGGGHHH!!!!" |
Hiccup
has other ideas. Driven by wanderlust he speeds through the
clouds on top of Toothless, excitedly mapping out new islands and
devising new gadgets. By chance he
runs into a group of dragon trappers working for a warlord named
Drago. Drago is a half feral nutjob with a penchant for terrifying
screaming and skill for enslaving dragons. He's out to bring the
world under his heel, and only Hiccup and the town of Berk have the
knowledge of dragons to stop him in his tracks.
Bubbling
under all this is a debate about the merits of persuading people to
change their minds through peaceful rather than violent means. This thematically continues the last movie, Hiccup once again being an agent of
change in a sea of people patiently explaining that "some
things just can't be changed". But, whereas his
position was validated by the union of dragon and Viking before, the
waters are muddied by Drago, whose hellbent mania resists reasoned
debate. Unfortunately the film never satisfyingly resolves the
ethical problem it sets itself, somewhat half-heartedly concluding
that maybe some people's minds really can't be
changed.
 |
| Valka is awesome. |
This
colours the film with a tinge of pessimism. As the characters have aged so the world has become a bit more serious, replete with large scale battle
sequences and imagery of torture and death. This ain't exactly Lars
von Trier, but there's a growing sense of the burden of responsibilities and
the shucking off of youthful idealism.
But
where the film stumbles thematically, it more than picks up the slack
visually and aurally. The cinematography is stunning, though what else do you expect with Roger Deakins on board? His technique in animation is to treat the virtual camera as if it were real, which gives the action weight and authenticity. The flight sequences are still as
thrilling as they were in the original; the film making excellent use
of 3D as it sends audiences spinning through the clouds and over
oceans on Toothless' back. Capturing this exhilaration is
the key to making these films work; our enjoyment is mirrored in
Hiccup's face - we wholly understand his passions, love and fears.
Technologically
things have been bumped along a bit too in the last five years. The
2010 film was no slouch, but improvements in facial animation are
obvious. These characters, particularly our hero, act.
I don't know if they use motion capture or not, but there's a
realistic, almost naturalistic way to the way their tiny unconscious
tics play across the character's faces.
 |
| I wish I had a pet dragon. |
Most
impressive animation-wise is Valka, a new character who's spent the
last 15 years living with dragons. She moves as if dancing, both otherworldly and mysterious. All of my favourite
moments in the film revolve around her character, and among a stable
of broadly drawn comedic stereotypes she shines through as something
genuinely fascinating. Being voiced by Cate Blanchett helps,
but it's the way she moves around a room that gives you goosebumps - feral, wild and loving all at once.
Her
scenes are buoyed up by John Powell's playfully epic Celtic score. My
highlight is the music played when Valka and Hiccup fly together, the
characters moving between a bustling flock of dragons. Their
mutual happiness is infectious and for a moment all the drama drops
away and we're left with the simple pleasures of two people
discovering a mutual bond. The only minus point is the early
inclusion of the rather out of place pop song Where No One
Goes, whose processed vocals sit at odds with the folkish,
medieval spirit of the rest of the score.
How
to Train Your Dragon 2 is not as good as the original.
There's the occasional overlong lull in momentum; the film
doesn't quite have the confidence to be wholly sincere, peppering
otherwise touching scenes with gags; the thematic stuff is a bit
disappointing and the thrill of discovering a new world has begun to
evaporate. But despite all that, this is still a very good movie, and
though it doesn't hit the heights of How to Train Your
Dragon, it's definitely a worthy followup.
★★★
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is released July 11th
Tags:
animation ,
cate blanchett ,
Dean DeBlois ,
Dreamworks Animation ,
film ,
Gerard Butler ,
How to Train Your Dragon 2 ,
Jay Baruchel ,
Jonah Hill ,
review
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