How to Train Your Dragon (3): The Hidden World is the least of the series, but it’s still not a bad film. Just a little slow, just a little disappointing… and somehow the end of a trilogy?
So the new flick starts by letting us know that the dragon/human utopia of Burke is just a little overcrowded as our hero Hiccup and his crew keep rescuing dragons from the evil hunters from the last flick. Surrounded by enemy fleets, Hiccup decides they need to relocate to the mythical hidden home of the dragons where they can live in peace. Meanwhile, the bond between Hiccup and Toothless is put to the test when a female Night Fury (a Light Fury) comes into the picture (and gets Toothless all hot and bothered).
I was genuinely a little bored and a little underwhelmed by much of this film. The film tries to make the stakes seem high but the overall presentation and story lacks drama and the vast scale of the previous flicks. That said, there’s still enough genuine charm and humor here that the flick scrapes by with a mild recommendation.
So, yeah, there’s enough of the old charm to prop up what is otherwise a fairly pedestrian story. Until, that is, the movie decides that apparently this is the final movie in the series? And, in doing so, they make an abrupt and awkward tonal and story shift and seem to want us to believe the dragons weren’t semi-intelligent companions to the vikings but more like pets. Without going into spoilers, the idea the vikings had to release the dragons as though they were setting birds free just didn’t work. It feels like bad writing; a hurry-up-lets-write-and-ending that didn’t honor the series as a whole.
This story beat, while bothersome to me, at least did provide some bittersweet scenes at least. It’s bad storytelling, but its well acted and well animated so I’ll have to give a major flaw in the story a slight pass. But still… tsk tsk that’s bad writing.
So, yeah, I think the first two movies were much better and this one flounders – somewhat charmingly – and then kind of ends the series abruptly. Or, well, allegedly ends it as I’m sure if they make enough money, they’ll keep churning these out. Regardless, the movie does eke by with the series usual fun, funny, and charming scenes.
Score: 76