How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Released:  June 13^th, 2014

Rated:  PG

Studio:  Dreamworks Animation

Starring:  Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Hounsou, Kit Harington

Directed by:  Dean DeBlois 

Written by:  Dean DeBlois

Personal Bias Alert:  mildly enjoyed the first HtTYD, not a big fan of 3D

9 of 10

            Let’s talk about risks.  Risks for the viewers.  Few things break my heart more than seeing a much loved story expanded upon and expanded upon until everything I loved about it was beaten out of it.  Watching the shell of what it used to be limp along fills me with a nostalgic gloom, and I often wish that I could pay money to let the poor thing die.  “How to Train Your Dragon” was a much loved film, and although I didn’t have a strong attachment to it like others did, I was apprehensive about the sequel on behalf of those who did.  Add in that it’s a DreamWorks Animation product, a studio with a shaky reputation for quality, and a rare solo writing/directing effort from Dean DeBlois, and the feeling dropped to downright trepidation.  I hoped for the best, but I knew that as soon as I felt the film going off the rails I would be the first to turn on it.

            The sequel picks up the story five years after the first film, with Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) traveling far and wide to expand his map, find new dragon species, and generally satiate his curiosity.  He ends up stumbling upon dragon catchers who inform him of a Viking named Drago (Djimon Hounsou), a man intent on building an army of dragons to take over the world.  The passive Hiccup opposes this idea, and while trying to find Drago he is captured by a mysterious dragon rider.  She turns out to be his long-lost mother, who seems to be the genetic source for Hiccup’s dragon talents.  With the family reunited, they work together to thwart Drago’s march and free his enslaved dragons.

            Too often, sequels feel like entirely separate chapters from the original.  The first movie is made with a contained story, and if it is financially successful enough to warrant a sequel, then the second film is put into production.  This leaves a bit of a chasm between the films, and it often feels like they exist separately from each other.  “How to Train Your Dragon 2” avoids that pitfall.  It really feels like an extension of the first, with the characters having grown as they would have in the five years between the stories, and the themes from the first film being picked up and expanded upon.  Yes, it’s darker and more mature than the first, but it would seem a bit silly if Hiccup wasn’t dealing with bigger problems now that he’s 20.  It might be too much for very young children, but most will have no problem with the story.

            Now I’m not a big fan of 3D.  I find it unnecessary in most films, considering that half the time you just end up watching people standing around talking IN 3D!  Here, though, is an excellent example of when 3D really adds something.  Flying, or any instance where the characters are moving in a 3-dimensional plane, is when the 3D actually makes everything seem more realistic.  Much of this movie is spent with the characters flying around on dragons, and those scenes looked amazing.  There’s one in particular where Hiccup and his mother (voiced wonderfully by Cate Blanchett) are showing off to each other, and the combination of the effects and animation really adds to the emotional liveliness of the scene.  The animation deserves its own praise, bringing a variety of characters and dragons to life and imbuing them with a great sense of personality.  Pay attention to the background of the talky scenes, because there’s some great jokes going on back there.

            My main problem with the first film was with how basic it felt.  The story and the themes had been done numerous times, and although it was told in a very pleasurable manner, it felt very familiar to me.  The second is still a well-trod story, but it’s more filled out and moves along at a much better pace.  Some of the side characters are still cardboard thin, particularly the bad guy, but at least they have the excuse of being family film archetypes.

            “How to Train Your Dragon 2” is a rare instance where the sequel is better than its predecessor.  I may be going out on a limb here, but I liken this series to the “Toy Story” franchise.  The second HtTYD is just as good as any of the “Toy Story” films, and both franchises have managed to attract an audience far outside their target demographic.  But more importantly, they are both series that are/were intent on growing and developing with its target audience, and that ingrains them into a generation’s soul.

            Other Notes:

Ø  Another scene where the animation impressed me was when Hiccup’s parents danced together.  The contrast between the massive father and the angular mother was really enchanting

Ø  Some of the side characters, particularly Hiccup’s friends, get annoying and far too jokey.  Although, the running gag about the girl’s arm fetish was hilarious.

Ø  They really got a better handle on Astrid.  In the first, she was a throwaway tough girl, but in this one she gets her own personality.

Ø  SPOILER:  I cringed a bit at the end when Drago invited Hiccup to try to get through to Toothless.  I wish they had come up with a better way for him to do it.

Goon (2012)

6.9 of 10

Personal Bias Alert:  Knows nothing about hockey, likes violence in sports

            While I don’t know much about hockey, I’ve always had a healthy respect for the people who play it.  A more unforgiving sport is difficult to find; it’s incredibly violent, played on ice, and fisticuffs are encouraged.  As far as the fights, I’ve never understood why they’re condoned, although I think they actually exist in a grey area where they’re technically against the rules but are allowed to play out for traditions sake.  What I didn’t know going into “Goon” was that there are hockey players whose primary role is to fight and check opposing players to deter them from playing too aggressively.  Goon is a term used to describe such a player, and with that knowledge you can probably figure out what this movie is about.

            Doug (Seann William Scott) is an aimless young man with one very special skill:  he’s a hell of a fighter.  When Doug’s skill is put on display at a local hockey game, he is offered a job as a goon for the hometown team.  He excels and quickly moves up to the minor leagues, where a former NHL enforcer named Ross “The Boss” Rhea (an excellent Liev Schreiber) has been demoted to an opposing team to finish his career.  Rhea previously had a run-in with Doug’s teammate Xavier Laflamme (Marc-Andre Grondin) that knocked off the trajectory of Laflamme’s career.  Doug’s team pride links him strongly to Laflamme, and a showdown between Rhea and Doug becomes inevitable.

            Everything in “Goon” is a charming assemblage of sports comedy formulas, with familiar characters (a troubled but talented star, an aging hero) and plot arcs (will the team make the playoffs?).  A lesser film would have stumbled on the clichés, but “Goon” is imbued with a loving energy that makes it difficult to dislike.  The whole thing feels like a passion project, and writer/actor Jay Baruchel has stated that he wanted to make the movie after noticing a lack of hockey comedies being produced.  Using the book “Goon:  The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey” (was there really not a better name?) as a basis, Baruchel and fellow writer Evan Goldberg produced a lovingly silly script that makes you feel good even when it takes some missteps.

            And missteps there are, most notably in an inconsequential romantic subplot and in Baruchel’s own character.  Baruchel plays Doug’s best friend, a crass ball of energy that pops off the screen in a distracting way.  I’m not a fan of crass humor for the sake of crass humor, and the character has little other purpose.  He’s not onscreen too much, though, so his annoying nature never overpowers the film’s goodwill.  Meanwhile, Doug’s romantic interest played by Alison Pill fails to pop at all, and the whole subplot feels like an afterthought.  I remember very much enjoying Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald in “Midnight in Paris,” and I wish she had brought the same amount of energy to this role.  Although, to be fair, she isn’t given much to do here.

            Despite the failings of those two characters, Doug, the titular goon, is a pitch-perfect center of the film.  He may be a better fighter than everyone but Rhea, but he has an even-keeled nature that stops him from using his powers out of turn.  He’s loyal, decent, and sweet while still understanding that violence has a place in life.  I’m not a Seann William Scott aficionado, but I don’t recall him being this big before.  I assume he put on weight for the role, and that physical presence lets him believably sift around in Doug’s multifaceted personality.  The film itself is a reflection of Doug:  a goofy, violent contradiction that you enjoy hanging out with.

           Other Notes:

Ø  Can this cast/crew be more Canadian?

Ø  Read the Wikipedia entry on this movie if you want to see how many of the incidents are based on real NHL occurrences.  These guys know their hockey.

Ø  I mentioned that this is a comedy, but I don’t think I ever mentioned if it was funny.  It is.

Ø  “You know they just want you to bleed, right?”  I could write the entire review around that line.

Ø  I really had trouble scoring this movie.  It exudes goodwill, but its faults are too glaring to warrant a really high score.  Please note that it’s getting a very loving 6.9.