Fish and Cherries Productions

Summary: The island of Berk has become a sanctuary for dragons, thanks to the efforts of Hiccup (Jay Barruchel), his dragon companion Toothless, his lady love Astrid (America Ferrera), and others who have stepped up to fight by his side. In frustration, those who would capture the dragons have hired a professional dragon killer, Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) to take Toothless out of the equation like he has with the rest of his kind, the Night Furies. The threat alone is enough to have everyone evacuate the island, but complicating things is the appearance of a female dragon that could be a similar species to Toothless — a Light Fury. Hiccup is now torn between protecting his people and helping Toothless find a true companion, even if that means saying goodbye.

Review: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a great movie, though maybe not as breathtaking as the previous two (until the last third, at least). It’s great to see all these characters again as they’ve grown and developed throughout this entire story. Sure, it seems like every member of Hiccup’s Scooby gang has their own subplot, but I’ve still grown quite fond of them and was sufficiently entertained by their antics. Unfortunately, they steal attention away from more interesting and dynamic characters like Eret (Kittening Harrington), Valka (Cate Blanchette), and the ever-lovable Gobber (Craig Ferguson), which is a bit disappointing.

The movie can feel a little too packed or rushed at times. For example, there’s a lot going on in the movie and not enough time to give everything the necessary time. I get that Hiccup and Astrid are our main human focuses, but there are some impressive characters that that don’t really get their worth in screen time. I didn’t even know the names of Grimmal’s warlord buds until I looked them up and that still told me next to nothing. Now Grimmal himself is an amazing force of personality. Maybe nothing truly unique, but still imposing, clever, and dynamic with a handful of nightmarish scorpion dragons to back him up. I daresay he was a lot of fun to watch, though it’s funny how his disgust at human-dragon coexistence seems ripped right from the headlines.

Like I said, the movie doesn’t truly feel special until the last third. But after that… oh man, it was hard to keep my eyes dry. The final battle, the big moment between the vikings and the dragons, and the amazing return of the main theme music was truly inspiring. Obviously, there’s a lot I can’t tell you for the sake of spoilers, but if you’ve liked this series then you should keep a tissue handy. It feels like a natural end point for the series and I’m really glad I’ve been along for the ride. Of course I’d love more, but I’d also be happy if the series went out on this note. It’s not perfect, but it’s still a thing of beauty.

Fun Tidbit: So while they don’t make it obvious, Gobber has been confirmed to be gay which follows up on a hint in the previous movie. If you need any more proof, pay attention to how often he compliments Eret’s physique.