How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

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I was a huge fan of the first How to Train Your Dragon. So, I was eagerly excited to see where they could take the awesome world they had created. How to Train Your Dragon 2 builds upon and improves everything that was great in the first movie. One thing I loved seeing was the fact that this second one took many more risks than its predecessor. The characters were aged now. One of the things I was actually glad to see them tackle was the idea of forcing the main character to grow up, become a man, and have to eventually take on the responsibility of becoming chief of his village. if they were to play things safe with this movie, then he probably would have stayed a kid. I also have to commend the way they go about forcing him to take on these new responsibilities, as it was something I felt was both heartbreaking and realistic. The battle scenes were breathtaking. There was this grand attention to detail put into the backgrounds, people, dragons, and weapons. It gave each of them an epic look and feel. The 3D in the movie was also some of the best I think I have ever seen. It really does feel like you are flying on the dragons. I liked the idea of building a mother-son relationship, something animated films rarely do. The family aspect of the movie was great, too. The characters are fantastic, on the whole. They feel fleshed out, and continue to grow from their places in the first movie. They don't really get stuck in rehash land either, as the story does feel like something of its own. This was more than just one of my favorite movies of 2014, but it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. It really does feel like this series is becoming the Lord of the Rings of animated movie franchises. It will attract the crowd it intends to attract, but there are so many more people who will easily find something to enjoy.    

10 / 10