Genre: Animation,
Action, Adventure
Produced by:
Bonnie Arnold, Brad Lewis
Directed by:
Dean DeBlois
Written by:
Dean DeBlois
Production Company: Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation
Starring: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington,
Craig Ferguson, F. Murray Abraham
Runtime: 104 minutes
SYNOPSIS:
New chief of Berk Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and a Night Fury
Toothless have realized their dream of a peaceful community where humans and
dragons can live side-by-side. However, their world is turned upside down when
Hiccup discovers that Toothless isn’t the only one left from his breed. And so,
to reunite Toothless with his kind, the pair must embark on a journey to the
mythical land called the Hidden World, while also trying to fend off a new
threat in the form of dragon slayer Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham).
REVIEW:
2010’s How to Train Your Dragon came as a welcoming change of pace for
DreamWorks Animation’s stale formula. Make no mistake, DreamWorks deserved all
the praise in the world for creating a formula that alter the way people
perceive animated filmmaking today. It opened up the possibility to an animated
movie featuring star-studded cast, pop culture references and meta-humor. At
the same time, it’s their innovativeness that has grown to become their
undoing. So many of their projects post-Shrek
(particularly their one-off-movies) have gone off the rails with the big names
and the gags that the creative minds never attempt to engage its audience with
the essentials of a movie like, say, focused storytelling, interesting characters
and a sense of emotional depth.
It was when the studio decided to adapt Cressida Cowell’s best-selling children
novel series into an animated feature where they finally addressed those flaws.
With stars like Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler lending their voices, it
still leaned heavily on the studio’s tried-and-tested star-studded cast formula
as one of its main draws. Besides that, How
to Train Your Dragon felt like a work that’s more in character with a
Disney/Pixar movie than it was DreamWorks’. For starters, the film made the
drastic move of excluding the type of pop culture, meta-humor that the studio
help popularized in the first place. In fact, it used comedy to explore deeper
themes like the main character’s relationship with his family (son and father)
as well as nature (a boy and his pet). These aren’t exactly strange thematic territories
for the studio’s movies, but they’re never usually as prominent or as beautifully
done as the first How to Train Your
Dragon film. At the same time, it also took advantage of the source
material’s dragon utopia to deliver the type of visual experience that’s
unprecedented for a DreamWorks animated film at that period of time.
Being both a critical darling as well as
the studio’s highest domestic grosser outside the Shrek films leaves DreamWorks with the only thing they’re good at:
turn How to Train Your Dragon into
its next moneymaking franchise. With the release of How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014, the title now stands alongside
other titles like the Shrek pentalogy
(its spin-off Puss in Boots (2011)
included), the Kung Fu Panda trilogy
and the Madagascar trilogy in the
studio’s franchise repertoire. Sadly, in early 2019, they have to say goodbye
to How to Train Your Dragon with it ending
with its third installment How to Train
Your Dragon: the Hidden World. In franchise filmmaking these days, there is
no such thing as a goodbye, but for now, the
Hidden World seems like a sequel that’s more concerned in going out on a
high rather than seeing whether the public wants to see more How to Train Your Dragon films.
In almost every aspect, the Hidden World closes out the How to Train Your Dragon series in a
flourish. Like all finales, it is the opportunity to tie up all the loose ends.
In films with How to Train Your Dragon’s
high fantasy concept, it is always associated with the epic, climactic battle
between the hero/heroes and its toughest adversaries. The Hidden World has bits and pieces of the aforementioned that falls
into the archetypal finale category. But it also takes the opportunity of a
finale to sit and reflect on what the How
to Train Your Dragon series had achieved for the last nine years. It’s like
a highlight reel of the things people love about these films.
For one obvious reason, How to Train Your Dragon would not have
existed without the dragons themselves. As far as the animation goes, the
winged creatures’ design are once again sleekly rendered and beautifully
realized. With each and every dragon, the animators gift them with a sort of unique
characteristics that sets one individual apart from the rest. Rather than a
melting pot of indistinguishable dragons, the world is brimming with a salad
bowl of distinguishable dragons that ticked all the boxes in terms of how to
both play into as well as subvert people’s expectation of what a dragon is. Here, dragons
are equally the good and the bad guy, both a man’s best friend and its enemy, both
a formidable warrior and the lousiest.
As far as the story goes, the Hidden World is the better film in
the sense that it gives the dragons much more to do. As a part of the
franchise’s universe expansion, the writers begin entertaining the prospect of
a dragon utopia in How to Train Your
Dragon 2. Its idea of a dragon capable of connecting with its fellow dragon
on a human level opens up many emotional possibilities, which the previous
films barely scratched the surface. Fittingly for a finale, the Hidden World is where the
dragon-to-dragon relationship finally takes center stage.
Look no further than Toothless’ many romantic
run-ins with Light Fury. Its animation style is undoubtedly modern, but the way
this film tells its story through the animation is refreshingly old-fashioned. Told
like a contained Pixar short, it is an exercise on visual language as its means
of conveying deep emotions, to which this film expresses in comical and
touching effect, hitting all the right notes wherever they go tonally. Barely
any words are spoken by either of the two throughout their screentime together.
Instead, they just trade gestures back and forth to communicate, like in a
silent film (except without the inter titles). But the scenes’ visual language
is presented so powerfully that it needs no words for the audience to gauge what
the characters are feeling.
Another staple of the series is the world’s
epic scope. It’s not surprising considering the series needed the favor of veteran
live-action films cinematographer Roger
Deakins in regards to the more cinematographic aspect of the animation.
Assuming the role of visual consultant in the
Hidden World once more, and even without having him physically operate a
camera, he laid down his marker through this film’s distinctive visual style.
Deakins’ and the DreamWorks’
animators’ unlikely collaboration prove to be a seamless blend between animated
imagery and live-action sensibilities. Deakins’
playing field might have been CGI, but his input really helps this particular
animated franchise punch above the weight of animation standards. In the way the
animators string together its series of moving animated images, they almost
feel like a live-action film masquerading as an animated feature, with the stylized
character design being the noticeable difference.
Hence, camera movements become the heart
and soul of this film to make the animation feel more live-action as well as to
expose the enormity of its landscape, brought to life by the sweeping
cinematography and the animation’s depth, details and rich colors. More of the
same is evident in the way it introduces the new worlds. In this film’s case,
it’s the titular dragon utopia the Hidden World.
Other than the landscapes, another
aspect that makes the How to Train Your
Dragon series feel much more epic than other animation fares is its big
action sequences. And to the filmmakers’ credit, they really go all out with it.
Animated set-pieces are no longer as simple as animating two or three characters
fighting in a static backdrop. Here, it raises the bar, to the point that the action
sequences in these films aims for the heights of the Lord of the Rings films in
terms of both the visual intricacy and the live action-esque intensity.
The
Hidden World
retains a lot of the same big action sequences prominent in How to Train Your Dragon 2, like the
large scale battle and dragon chases. Furthermore, to keep the action fresh, it
brings something new to the table, evident already in its opening sequence,
which follows Hiccup and his gang trying to set imprisoned dragons free. That
sequence is less about the high fantasy action, and more about the artistic flourishes.
Set in an indeterminate place surrounded with nothing but fog, it takes
advantage of the setting to play more with silhouettes and lighting as a crutch
for the action thrills, in a style that is similar to watching a shadow play. And
who says it’s not as thrilling? It’s such kind of creative choices that grants the
action sequences with a sense of innovativeness, while still maintaining the intricacy
and intensity of its predecessors.
Still, its biggest achievement remains
the story. It takes a relationship scenario as fantastical and unrealistic as a
boy with his pet dragon and ground it to the point that the emotions in their
relationship and each of their personalities feel much more real and intimate
than the sprawling world surrounding them might suggest. Looking back at where
the series’ chief writer/director Dean
DeBlois takes with the story, it does require a trilogy to fully cover both
Hiccup (the boy) and Toothless (pet dragon)’s journey from being boys to men.
It’s only appropriate that the Hidden World explores the early
stages of their manhood and how such a big milestone in their lives represents
a much bigger emotional challenge to them than they might have ever imagined.
In Hiccup’s case, his transition towards manhood is represented by him taking
over his father Stoick the Vast’s (Gerard
Butler) position as chief of Berk. With it comes the doubts he encounters
as he tries to make a name for himself as the tribe’s leader while living up to
the deceased’s legacy as well as the added responsibility that prompts him to
make all the hard decisions that he might not emotionally be ready for. In
Toothless’ case, his step towards manhood is represented by him discovering
that he started to have romantic feelings for another dragon Light Fury, and
how even such a sweet moment in the character’s life also comes with a dilemma:
what makes me happier? Is it my long-time friendship with Hiccup? Or my newfound
romance with Light Fury?
That’s why this film’s underlying theme
of letting go hits home as both a farewell to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise as well as a metaphor on growing
up. There’s no denying that the humans love the dragons and vice versa, but
there’s always that word: “it just isn’t meant to be”. Naturally, all good
things must come to an end. Dragons have their own habitat (the Hidden World), humans
have their own habitat (Berk), and like it or not, there will be a time that,
for the best interest of both, they must go their separate ways.
It’s the hard truth that the two central
characters have to come to terms with, and not even their Viking trainings can prepare
them for it, particularly Hiccup’s. That is why it is easy to identify with
Hiccup’s mixed-to-hesitant reaction to the idea of separation throughout this
film. It’s hard to dispute how special Hiccup’s bond with Toothless is. By now,
Hiccup considers Toothless to be a part of his soul, that final piece of the
puzzle that helps make him a stronger individual, and be the man that he is today.
And so, it is normal that Hiccup’s self-doubt of pre-Toothless era starts to
resurface when it dawns upon him that he will eventually have to say goodbye to
not just a friend, a pet but also an important part of himself.
On the one hand, there’s a part of him
that’s delighted that Toothless have finally found his own happiness. On the
other, there’s another part of him that’s jealous that Toothless no longer
spends more time with him. The depth this film goes into exploring a boy and
his pet’s relationship feels so close to home, in a way that’s equivalent to a
parent witnessing their child grow up to be a man and having to eventually leave
the house. And when these two characters finally realize that they are
individuals who deserve rights to pursue their personal happiness and when they
accept the truth of the human and dragon separation like a man, the film resolves
their arcs in such a teary, satisfying way (for long-time How to Train Your Dragon fans, grab some tissue before entering the
theater).
The
Hidden World
isn’t without the occasional hiccups though (no pun intended). Chief amongst its
flaws is its main human villain Grimmel the Grisly, a letdown if compared to the
one-armed, dreadlocked madman Drago Bludvist (Djimon Honsou) from How to
Train Your Dragon 2, brought to life explosively by Honsou’s raspy, throaty voice.
To be fair, F. Murray Abraham imbues Grimmel with his forever iconic deep,
gentlemanly voice that suits the character’s all-black, Van Helsing-esque physique.
Also, his introductory sequence suggests a scary threat, reliant on mind trick
and marksmanship in defeating the dragon over Drago’s sorcery. Beyond that, he
never proves himself to be as menacing.
Like Drago, Grimmel doesn’t have as much
screen time here to truly impose his villainy. Unlike Drago though, the
screenplay doesn’t use Grimmel wisely enough to make the lasting influence.
At least with Drago, he poses a constant
threat on and off the screen, perfectly exemplified by Stoick the Vast’s somber
narration and the similarly somber flashback sequence of Drago’s back story. The Hidden World rarely acknowledges Grimmel
as Berk’s harbinger of doom. There’s little urgency to the hero’s pursuit of
the villain and vice versa, rendering their encounters less suspenseful or
meaningful than intended. And Grimmel’s weak motivation doesn’t help either.
Not every villain has to be closely connected to the hero, but at least, their
motivation for defeating the latter needs to be strong. Drago had a strong case
of wanting to conquer Berk through past grudge.
The same cannot be said about Grimmel’s
motivation. Here, he just wants to slay another dragon, normal for a seasoned dragon
slayer, but far from compelling for a film’s main villain. At some point, it
tries making his motivation more personal by linking the dragons with his
parents’ death, but the writers seems less interested in diving deeper into
that aspect of the character, leaving such revelation to be nothing more than a
throwaway line of dialogue. For a franchise ender, the Hidden World deserves much better than a passable villain.
Another flaw with the Hidden World rests in the way the narrative takes Snotlout (Jonah Hill)’s character. Snotlout has always
been an ever-present in all of the How to
Train Your Dragon films as a member/warrior in Hiccup’s dragon-riding gang,
even if, story-wise, his function is nothing more than just a comic relief.
Snotlout plays the same role here,
continuing a long-running gag involving him trying to woo a girl with his
cocky, vain swagger. In the first two films, that girl was Astrid (America Ferrera). In the third though,
Snotlout has shifted gear to Valka (Cate
Blanchett). This is where the problem arises. The idea of a boy (Snotlout)
playfully and flirtatiously bantering with a girl her age (Astrid) would come
off as normal and funny. The idea of a boy doing the same thing with a much
older lady (Valka) just comes off as unusual and creepy.
It is clear that the writers here have
the noble intention of portraying their relationship as a young Viking boy
trying to prove his worth to a Viking elder as a warrior. In the kids’ eyes, they
might see it plainly as that. In the adults’ eyes though, it is hard to look at
the ladies man’ way Snotlout speak to Valka and not cringe. And it doesn’t help
that the woman he is attracted to is his friend Hiccup’s mother. On the one
hand, animated films are allowed to be mature, but on the other, this might be
the case where it’s too mature even by a PG-movie standard.
CONCLUSION:
How
to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World ends the series on a high note with its
gorgeously animated dragon world and high fantasy action, lighthearted humor
and a deep, touching coming-of-age story on newfound romance, long-time
friendship and letting go.
Score: 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment