It's been a month now since I first saw The Hidden World, the final chapter in Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. Back when I originally reviewed it, I put forth the argument that this could be the greatest animated trilogy ever made. I still believe in such an argument, but back then, I knew I was probably too blinded by hyperbole to allow myself a level-headed approach, so I let my thoughts simmer before solidifying anything, even intentionally disregarding any grades in the meantime. Now that I've had some time to cool myself on it, and give the film a much needed second look, I feel like I can definitively cement my feelings on it. While it may be the weakest of the three, it's still a stellar closing chapter to what is an otherwise fantastic series.
If any one strength in the film has managed to carry over from its predecessors, it's the central friendship between Toothless and Hiccup, and their continuing learning experiences as the leaders of their respective kinds. Hiccup and Toothless have always clicked as the frightened, unsure, social outsiders of their species, finding strength in each other to become more than what they were perceived as, eventually ascending to their ruling status. The two directly mirror each other in a lot of ways (most obvious in Hiccup's prosthetic leg, and Toothless' broken tail fin). Because of that symbiosis, they've been able to grow into such a lovable pair of heroes, but here at the end of the mythos, now they need to learn their hardest lesson yet: Living independent of each other.
This is easier said than done for Hiccup, whose new journey is learning to see himself with more confidence, having convinced himself that he's nothing without Toothless. That deep down, he's still the same scrawny, gutless screw-up who couldn't kill a dragon. It's not a far stretch, either, given that what Hiccup has managed to accomplish is all a direct result of his experiences with the dragons, using Toothless as his gateway to exploiting every tick of theirs. Even so, he has proven himself a gifted genius (even making use of killer weaponry and armor), and it's only because of Hiccup's wit and spark of ingenuity that such deeds were accomplished. If anything, the great things he hasn't been able to accomplish on his own is more from untapped potential. At the end of the day, the core journey is that Hiccup is special, he has incredible value even without the dragons, and even in the unenviable shadow of his late father Stoick, he can still be a great leader, if only he could see that were the case.
Change definitely comes easier to others, namely Toothless, and his world being rocked by newfound love. Up until now, believing himself to be the last of his species, the emergence of a potential new mate, the humorously dubbed Light Fury, sends the lovable guy's emotions swirling. He's always been content with Hiccup, seemingly wanting nothing more than to stay faithfully by his side (with the film at one point making reference to spin-off short Gift of the Night Fury). Having never been given any reason to want to, why would he? But the sudden arrival of the new mate awakens a new longing in him, in which the full loneliness of his near-extinction finally sets in, and the untapped potential sleeping within him desperate to get out.
As said before, The Hidden World firmly belongs to Toothless, who may just be the greatest movie dragon since... Ever? The Dragon films have always excelled at using body language as personality extensions, and none have used that skill better than him, showing off a wide array of animalistic physicality, falling back onto its simplicity for maximum effect. Some of the best jokes in the series have been of a completely silent nature, continuing here with several laugh out loud moments, including his awkward and stumbling attempt at a mating dance that progressively alienates the Light Fury. It also lends itself to the most beautiful sections of the film, with that mating dance eventually making way for a beautiful flight sequence between the two Furies, that with the exception of growling and music, is virtually mute. It's some of the most arresting moments of the film, and some of the best silent character work I've ever seen in an animated feature.
That's only the tip of the iceberg in style, as all three films have been breathtaking in their visual eye, due in no small part to the legendary Roger Deakins as a consultant. With this final entry, the animators have been given incredible freedom to let their imaginations fly, something you can see as early on as the opening tag team raid shot in one continuous take. In addition to the flowing camera work, the excellent dragon designs and expressions, and the jaw-dropping production design, the flight sequences continue to mark where these films hit their apex. Not only as jaw-dropping eye candy, but as some of the best character moments in the films, becoming vital storytelling tools in their own right, absorbing us into the beauty of such sequences as the Fury love flight, and the gorgeous exploration of the titular Hidden World late in the film. While I sadly didn't get to see the film in IMAX 3D, it was still just as vibrant and awe-inspiring in conventional IMAX, even moreso with Randy Thom's dragon sounds and John Powell's GOAT music accompanying it. That the series continues to look better is even more astonishing knowing the budget has decreased by $20 million each entry, and yet none of it feels cheap. So kudos to that!
But The Hidden World is not a perfect movie. It's often said that you should review a film by what it is rather than by what you expect, but that's difficult when what I expect is consistently shoved in my face. Alas, while it pains me to say it, The Hidden World is too often a victim of its own untapped potential.
The Hidden World, despite being the film's subtitle, feels like a bolted on footnote rather than a major subplot, as we spend so little time getting to take in the full scope of it. It's a brilliant, beautiful world of glowing bioluminescence, a crystalline paradise with so much room for possibilities, and yet the film would much rather spend most of its time on a new, limited island following an exodus from Berk, rather than take full advantage of that spectacular new location. It's so weakly capitalized on, it could have easily been excised without anyone missing it.
But that's nothing compared to the sheer amount of characters in the film, many of which tag along for no other reason than their legacy. Most of them have been here since the beginning, and the highlight is easily Hiccup's girlfriend Astrid, with the two having developed an infectious, spellbinding chemistry over the years, and being the one person to believe in him since the start. She's the one returning character that feels inseparable from the final film. Others are decidedly less important, and some of their roles could have even been combined to truncate the crowded cast. Would anyone really miss exposition machines Fishlegs or Eret if they were to be dropped? Snotlout's attempts at becoming the greatest viking in the village could have fueled a playful rivalry between he and Hiccup, but perhaps with less of hitting on Valka. Maybe blend him with some of Tuffnut's best gags, down to his big, totally real manly beard, along with returning twin sister Ruffnut (who still has one of the funniest scenes in the film to herself). Craig Ferguson's Gobber is always a delight on screen, but Cate Blanchett's Valka is so poorly utilized, despite being one of the most vital components of the previous film.
Which brings me to my next problem, how the production of these sequels have been hampered by Dreamworks' indecisiveness. Originally, in a major twist, Valka was going to become the main villain of the previous film, with actual villain Drago Bludvist being saved for the third film. But midway through, they dropped that thread altogether, bumping Drago up early, and having him fill in Valka's void (which explains why this film seemingly has no idea what to do with her now). Coming in halfway through the film, while Drago didn't have much time to shine, he still cast an intimidating and monstrous shadow, and held the promise of greater things to come in a follow-up, as he was supposed to be in this, and was even supposed to redeem himself by the end.
Except, per suggestion of Steven Spielberg, Drago was ultimately cut from the final film, becoming the only major series character not to return (even Stoick has more prominence, AND HE DIED!). Honestly, this almost makes a lot of the second film's events feel irrelevant in hindsight, and while that doesn't taint my opinion of it (it's still my favorite of the three), it does highlight how flimsy this trilogy's attempts at overarching narratives are. While I may have slightly preferred Grimmel as an antagonist, mainly because of how much I enjoy watching him chew the scenery, and for how much he challenges Hiccup's world view, Drago served that purpose just fine as well. At least Drago caused more damage, was more threatening, and could have grown into a deeper and much stronger character had the onslaught of distractions not taken him down. This whole situation feels like the ultimate "what if," and the constant juggling of story elements has sadly become too obvious to ignore.
But disregarding all of that, I still think this is a great movie. At the end of the day, this movie's ultimate goal is to serve as a satisfying conclusion. And for what it sets out to accomplish, it meets those expectations and passes with flying colors. I may not have had quite the nostalgic attachment to the Dragon films like I did with Toy Story (being I was a teenager when the first Dragons released), but I still cared about the journey between Hiccup and Toothless every step of the way. There was always such a stunning grace and maturity to these movies, mainly carried on the shoulders of their friendship, and seeing it come to a close with the most perfect, heartbreaking, bittersweet final note is no less than they deserved, and everything I could have hoped for. And when I say a final note, I mean it. There's no post credits teaser, no hints towards the future, they're bringing the story to a definitive end, as it should be.
So while my stance on it may not be quite as strong as it was initially, I still say there's an argument to be made on this being the greatest animated trilogy of all time (again, since Toy Story no longer counts). How to Train Your Dragon was a splendid and mature surprise, loaded with exuberant wonder and intelligence. How to Train Your Dragon 2 met those same expectations of the original, but through added depth and its darker tone perfected that storytelling with a richer, more ambitious continuation. And yes, even though it has several flaws, The Hidden World was a more than worthy and satisfying send-off, bringing its graceful story full circle with great emotional pull to spare. The journey isn't consistent, but every step along the way has been rewarding, both for kids and adults alike, and all the praise in the world for director Dean DeBlois and his team bringing it all to such a beautiful close.
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| Thanks for the memories, you beautiful reptiles. |
****1/2 / *****
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