So I watched How To Train Your Dragon 2

I loved the first movie and obviously expected the same kind of quality from the second. It’s hard for a sequel to live up to its original but this movie takes the pressure in its stride and delivers a story that will have you arguing which (the original or the sequel) you liked more.

Okay, basic plot: the citizens and dragons of Berk have continued the harmony and friendship we saw in the first movie, everything’s going great except that Hiccup’s father is pushing him to be chief and Hiccup is still busy living the carefree life of a dragon rider. Although Berk is at peace with dragons there are people out there who still fear and want to kill dragons. Enter Drago Bludvist – in case the name wasn’t explanatory enough, he’s the bad guy. Drago wants to imprison all dragons because a dragon bit of his hand or arm or something, point is he doesn’t like dragons. So obviously him and Hiccup are gonna need to have some words and this leads to a battle of Dragon Riders that has the twist of Hiccup’s mother being alive – yes, the last movie said she was eaten by a dragon. Yes, she didn’t come back to her husband or child. Don’t think about it too much or you might realise how horrible of a mother this makes her. Anyway…

The movie delivers on the same adorableness and charm that made the first movie so enjoyable. The best parts of the movie are whenever Hiccup and Toothless are bromancing and flying around exploring the world around them. There are also a ton of new dragons and they all have fun powers and personality traits. I really liked the way the movie balanced all the new characters with the original ones. You get time with both and never feel overwhelmed by all the new faces.

The main thing I liked about this movie was the change in tone. The first How To Train Your Dragon was childlike and had a very happy-go-lucky feeling throughout. This one is a lot darker. Hiccup and his friends have grown up a bit and are now young adults and they’re dragon riders. It’s fun and games at times but they’re riding dragons and killing people at times. Yes, people die, a main character dies *spoilers* – the movie gets quite intense at times. If you’re prone to crying (like I am) when things get too heavy emotionally, I’d suggest some tissues for this movie.

There’s not a lot wrong with this movie, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like, it wasn’t perfect but it was pretty damn close at times.

Overall this movie manages to match the original and offers something  that (because of its darker tone) the original couldn’t.I wouldn’t call this a kid’s movie anymore, it’s a great animation that both adults and kids can enjoy. In the same way that its characters are more mature and experienced, this movie feels older and does a really great job of telling its story. I loved it, definitely worth a watch. 9/10