It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons. Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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In a voice-over echoing the one at the beginning of How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup (voice: Jay Baruchel) describes his home, the Viking village of Berk. Five years after the events of the previous film, Berk is a much happier place. Instead of stealing the livestock and destroying buildings, dragons now live amongst the villagers as working animals and companions, and even take part in racing sport. In the opening scene, dragons and their riders compete to catch sheep and dunk them in baskets; everyone in the village who isn't competing seems to be watching the event. The chieftain, Stoick the Vast (voice: Gerard Butler), wonders where his son Hiccup is but exults when Astrid (voice: America Ferrera) and her dragon Stormfly win the game, calling Astrid his future daughter-in-law.

Hiccup, meanwhile, is exploring with his dragon, Toothless, intent on discovering and mapping new lands. Hiccup tries out a set of leather wings he's rigged that stretch from his extended arms to the sides of his legs and enable him to jump off Toothless's back and fly -- glide, really. They work well, though the landing is rough because Hiccup doesn't watch where he's going.

While investigating a wildfire, Hiccup and Astrid discover the remains of a fort encased in a colossal ice formation and encounter a dragon trapper named Eret (voice: Kit Harington), who blames them for the destruction of his fort. He says the the fort was frozen and destroyed by another dragon rider who he assumes the're in league with. Eret attempts to capture their dragons for an insane conqueror called Drago Bludvist (voice: Djimon Hounsou). Hiccup and Astrid are mystified; they've never heard of dragon riders except for the ones from Berk. The two riders return to warn Stoick about the dragon army that Drago is amassing. Hiccup has trouble getting Stoick to listen; Stoick wants Hiccup to succeed him as chieftain, but Hiccup, at 20, isn't ready to think about it.

Once he grasps what Hiccup is saying, Stoick puts the village in lockdown, ordering the villagers to fortify the island and prepare for battle. Stoick explains he met Drago years before and that he was an unreasonable madman, but Hiccup refuses to believe that war is inevitable. Defying his father, he flies off with Astrid to find Eret's ship and they surrender themselves and their dragons so as to be taken to Drago. Stoick, Gobber (voice: Craig Ferguson), and Berk's other dragon riders pursue and find them, but Hiccup and Toothless fly off again.

They are captured by a skilled dragon rider named Valka (voice: Cate Blanchett), who recognizes Hiccup. She reveals that she's his long-lost mother; she was taken by a dragon when Hiccup was a baby and was thought to be dead. She explains that she had tried to convince Stoick and the rest of Berk that they could learn to coexist with dragons. One night during an attack, a dragon got into her house and she rushed to save the infant Hiccup, but found the dragon, Cloudjumper, making googly eyes at the delighted baby. Though she had come armed and was fully prepared to put aside her ideas about the gentleness of dragons to defend her son, she couldn't bring herself to attack Cloudjumper, who instead carried her off. Valka spent the next twenty years rescuing dragons from Drago's traps and bringing them to an island haven created out of ice by a colossal Alpha dragon called a Bewilderbeast, to whom all dragons answer. Valka is eager to share what she's learned with Hiccup; she shows him and Toothless how to deploy a double row of small fins on Toothless's back that enable him to make tighter turns. Later, when Hiccup shows her the map he's been working on, adding new lands as he discovers them, she draws him a larger map in the snow.

Stoick and Gobber track Hiccup to Valka's island, where Stoick discovers that his wife is still alive. They have a joyful reunion.

Astrid and the other riders kidnap Eret so as to find Drago, but they are also captured and Drago thus learns of Berk's dragons. Ruffnut (voice: Kristen Wiig), a classmate of Hiccup and Astrid's from the previous film's dragon-fighting school, has a crush on Eret and pursues him doggedly, to the chagrin of Snotlout (voice: Jonah Hill) and Fishlegs (voice: Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who are both sweet on Ruffnut.

Drago and his army lay siege to Valka's sanctuary, where he reveals that he has his own Bewilderbeast to challenge the Alpha. A titanic battle ensues between the two Bewilderbeasts in a fight for control over all dragons on the island. Drago's Bewilderbeast emerges victorious and seizes control of all the dragons, including Toothless. Hiccup tries to persuade Drago to end the violence, but Drago orders him killed as well. Toothless, under the influence of the new Alpha, approaches Hiccup and fires a plasma blast. At the last instant, Stoick pushes Hiccup out of the way. He's hit instead and killed instantly. Drago leaves Hiccup to his fate and, riding Toothless, leads his now larger army to destroy Berk. Stoick is given a ship burial and Hiccup, now chief and filled with regret at the loss of his father, decides that he will fly back to Berk to defend his people and live up to his father's legacy.

The dragon riders ride baby dragons, which are immune to the Bewilderbeast's control, and arrive at Berk after the Alpha had already attacked the village and taken control of the dragons there. Hiccup confronts Drago and a brainwashed Toothless while the other riders work to distract the Bewilderbeast. Drago again orders Toothless to kill Hiccup, but Hiccup succeeds in disenchanting Toothless. Drago then orders the Alpha to shoot the pair, and the Bewilderbeast successfully encases them in a large blast of ice, seemingly killing them. His victory is short-lived however, as Toothless, now glowing with blue plasma, blasts away the ice, revealing that both he and Hiccup are unharmed. Toothless challenges the Alpha and repeatedly fires plasma blasts at the Bewilderbeast. At this, the other dragons are freed from the Bewilderbeast's control and all fire at it, severely injuring the colossal dragon until Toothless fires a final massive blast, breaking its left tusk.

Defeated, Drago and his Bewilderbeast retreat into the ocean as the villagers celebrate their victory. All the dragons acknowledge Toothless as the new Alpha dragon, and Hiccup is recognized as chief of Berk by the village elder, who draws a symbol on his forehead. The film ends with Berk being rebuilt with a statue of Stoick standing guard just offshore, and Hiccup doing his duties as chief, proudly declaring that while others may have armies and armadas, Berk has its own dragons.

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gogoschka-1 from wherever good films play
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Seeing the original 'How to Train Your Dragon' for the first time made me feel like a kid again and it has since become one of my all-time favorite films, so when I got a chance to see this, I was as much worried as I was excited. In the past, some of the films I have anticipated the most turned out to be the biggest disappointments, so I took a deep breath and tried to lower my expectations going in. I needn't have feared: I'm glad to report that Dean DeBlois has crafted a beautifully animated tale that loses nothing of its predecessor's sense of fun and adventure, while it enhances Hiccup's and Toothless' journey into an almost classic - and unexpectedly touching - "coming-of-age" story.

While still colourful, playful and visually all over the place (I mean that in a good way*), the tone of the sequel is noticeably darker and the predominant themes are more mature. The writers made some (for Hollywood movies) unusually daring decisions in having Hiccup face very tough realities in life; especially one about the danger of over-humanizing pets and forgetting about their animal nature. Small children had perhaps better stay away, since the film is also quite a bit scarier than the original. That's not saying that there isn't a lot of humour – but the wisecracks of Jonah Hill & Co. will most certainly be lost on the very young and are clearly targeted towards older children and teenagers.

*A word about the animation: This is among the most visually stunning animated films I have ever seen; at times, there is so much eye-popping spectacle on screen that you don't know where to focus anymore - this one definitely needs a second viewing.

My overall verdict: While the storyline may not be quite as straightforward as the original's, the well written, credible character development and the gorgeous visuals are more than satisfying. 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' could have played it safe by merely repeating the original's formula – it opted instead for the introduction of fascinating new characters while giving the ones we know more back-story and a chance to grow up and explore new territory. I would say that next to 'Days of Future Past', this is one of the best sequels Hollywood has produced in a very long time. 9 stars out of 10 (with the option of a straight 10 once I've seen it again).

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

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Jackson Porter from United States
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I picked up my future wife for a simple dinner and a movie date. We hadn't picked out a movie yet as we had decided to choose at the theater. Upon arriving, we saw that How To Train Your Dragon 2 was selling it's 8:00-10:00 Thursday night showings. I'd completely forgotten it was coming out Friday, so both of us, ecstatic, decided on that movie.

I went in expecting a great film.

I came out blown away.

I can honestly say I've never seen a sequel better than it's predecessor, but How To Train Your Dragon 2 does nothing but improve and top the first one.

The music was the best I've heard in a very long time. The story introduced so many things that was simply another piece of master storytelling. The relationships in the movie, especially Toothless' and Hiccup's, were written to their absolute strongest.

After all the films I've seen, all the shows I've watched, all the books I've read, I have never come across a friendship stronger than Hiccup's and Toothless'. The way they write that relationship is just . . . it's never been done before.

The story itself is actually pretty simple and actually a really short story, but it's a story you could tell the writer fell in love with. And he brought this story to the best it can absolutely be. The villain was chilling, the characters' outcomes were emotional, and the climax will completely shake your soul.

I have no complaints. No complaints at all. There is nothing I would change about that film. Not a single thing.

I just really hope they saved the best for last, because I don't know how they're going to top it.

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SmashingUKProductions from Worcester, England
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'How to Train Your Dragon' is my all-time favourite animated film, so when I heard a sequel was being made, I knew it was one I had to see. The last animated film I saw in the cinema was 'Toy Story 3' four years ago, so going to see this beautifully executed flick was a treat. This film truly lives up to its expectations and builds upon its predecessor's achievements like any good sequel should, and from this, the outcome is stunning. More mature and thematic than its predecessor, 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' is an emotionally resonant and heartfelt flick that expands upon the story of Hiccup and Toothless and their connection. With swooping and stunning visuals and epic animated set pieces, this is a sequel to remember, a modern masterpiece.

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Luke Salewski from United States
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Unfortunately the marketing for this film is subpar and misleading, as it was for the first one. My best advice to you is ***AVOID THE TRAILERS AT ALL COSTS. They include major spoilers to some very emotional points in the film.

This is another level of animated film, one that gracefully crosses generational gaps and will speak volumes to any age group. Because of the critical and audience acclaim of the beloved predecessor, many are afraid that a sequel will not match the mastery of the first one, that this would be created purely as a money-making gimmick, like many Hollywood sequels. If these are your presumptions, you couldn't be more wrong. This film is worthy of all the hopes and expectations you are afraid to carry into the theater. DeBlois has told us a moving story, one that won't be soon forgotten, that so many of us will connect with. At Comic Con 2013, DeBlois said that this was "The Empire Strikes Back" of the trilogy. That is a hefty promise, which he has successfully delivered.

The world of HTTYD2 has been vastly expanded and explored, very little of the film takes place on Berk. It is much more of an adventure film. The film has taken everything from HTTYD to the next level: emotion, intensity, action, adventure, humor, and depth. It takes risks I have seen so few animated films take, full of twists and turns, that will keep you engaged and invested.

For me the film could have had a stronger beginning, a few less childish jokes, and a bit slower pacing (probably should have been about 10 minutes longer). Other than some very nit-picky notes, that is literally the worst that I can say about it.

HTTYD2 is a phenomenal film and will deservedly pick up the academy award for best animated film of the year. John Powell, will again be nominated (and hopefully win) for his inventively emotional score.

This was my most anticipated film of the past two years and it does not disappoint. The four years of work on it show, as it is a polished film. It is one of those rare films that inspires. And one of the few that you walk out of the theater feeling so much emotion and thinking "Gosh, I can't wait to see that again."

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jordan-kollins from United States
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~NO SPOILERS~

How to Train your Dragon 2 is a shining example of what both family movies and animated films are capable of. This is not the same story rehashed over again. From the characters, to the drama, to the action, to the comedy, this film does what any sequel should do by stepping up its predecessor in every way possible, and respects its audience enough not to shy away from its darker and more dramatic content, but still remain viewable and entertaining for all audiences. We are talking about a PG rated Dreamworks film after all.

From the moment the music began playing during the beginning to when the end credits began roiling, I was completely immersed in this phenomenal movie that is more than worthy to stand along side the likes of any great live-action fantasy film or the past decade. Possibly one the the best animated movies I have ever seen, this is the Empire Strikes Back of animated films.

9/10 (Very possibly will increase to 10/10 upon my second viewing.)

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akosi-galileo
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This sequel sucks, this sequel is inferior, this sequel is inferior. Yes, I once felt the same. BUT! It all changes after a ... R E W A T C H ... The reason? in the first watch .. you can't help but compare to the first one. The facing is too darn fast. So much thing is going on. It is very busy. In my first watch .. I too was disappointed to the movie. But, I give it another try and rewatch. Now that I know what will happen, Now that I know everything. I was able to keep up with the pacing and appreciate the beauty of this sequel. After I a rewatch, I finally see why people says this movie is an improvement. So, if your disappointed .. REWATCH IT !! I guarantee you, it will help a lot. and if your wondering Why am I doing this? because HTTYD community is freaking small. I don't want fellow fans to lose their hope in this series. It's not Frozen, It's not Disney, It's not Pixar. When Disney and Pixar release movies, everybody is excited. When dreamworks release movie .. WHO THE HELL CARES? .. I don't want HTTYD community to decrease. Who will support this series if the fans a gone? HTTYD is an amazing series and lets support it.

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Onkar Ghare from India
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This movie hits it out of the park regarding all the important factors . Storytelling, voice cast and animation is top class. The kids will get entertained and the parents even more so, because the movie is intelligent as well as fun.

The dragon's depictions are very amazing, you find yourself smitten by these creatures and also caring for the human characters.

Is it better than the first film? Yes, with improvements in the areas of emotion and magnitude. This one is also very different than the first one.

So, verdict.

YOU BETTER GO SEE THIS AS SOON AS YOU CAN!

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Mek Torres from Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
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How to Train Your Dragon 2 follows the common rule of sequels by making everything bigger, even though that isn't always enough to justify the series. In fact, it usually leads the franchise into a disaster, and thankfully this film is one of the rare which lives up to its promise. While it already provides the most breathtaking action and impressive visuals, it also able to expand the universe and give huge room for nice warmth beneath the bombast. Once again, the studio has put aside their recent style of broader gags and bullet speed pacing and settle down for a real storytelling that reminds us why animated movies are so appealing anyway. How to Train Your Dragon 2 has given all what you've wished for as a great sequel.

The plot sure does heightened into an epic installment, it could have been an easy throw away of cool effects, battle sequences, and humor, but the movie is smart to keep on following its own roots by settling more on the characterization of their world and Hiccup's life with his dragon and the tribe. To keep it from being a wheel spinning visual showcase, the story embeds itself with full of inspired emotions, example is when it explores the icy dragon cave. It wasn't only an exposition, it is mainly a developing relationship between Hiccup and his long-lost mother. The quieter moments of letting the once disconnected family reunite again captures the same heart of the boy and dragon friendship of the first movie, which certainly made it pretty endearing.

The film also spends its time exploring more places around and beyond the Isle of Berk. It's quite interesting to let the years pass by and make the young vikings grow mature, and how it depicts their maturity is pretty clever, like the hormonal attraction of Snotlout and Fishlegs to Ruffnut, in spite of fact their comic relief get a a bit way out of hand. The dragon species were also given enough intriguing details, essentially for the plot, which sort of recalls the book series of Cressida Cowell. This is a rich universe that makes the whole journey even bigger.

The voice acting is predictably great. Jay Baruchel still brings the same earnestness to Hiccup even when the character's new appearance has outgrown his voice. Gerard Butler remains to be perfect as Stoick The Vast, he lends more gravity to the character in this one. Cate Blanchett joins in and she appropriately gives a great amount of warmth to the role. The other cast did well enough at keeping things much alive. For the filmmaking, the direction handles a better pacing compared to the other quicker cuts of the last few animated films. It's an easier way to watch by concentrating each scene of getting know of the characters, either with or without any dialogue. The flying scenes have always been a tremendous ride with scale and fortitude. John Powell's score helps making it feel much powerful, and it gets even better with a Jónsi song in it.

Apart from Disney, these are the only animated films of Hollywood today that have a wider ambition other than selling off kids with cool visuals and absurdist humor. There is an actual story to be found here, even without following its source material. The typical elements of Dreamworks are still there, but is hardly noticed. It's nearly like the first film, except of course it's larger. It does justice to today's family fare, somewhat forgetting the current mediocrity and rather fills it with inspiration from the past. One thing that is missing in most of the genre's attempt of transcending their films is the sincerity to its heart. Every affection in How To Train Your Dragon 2 never felt forced and right there it soars way up high. And if we have learned something about training dragons from the past, then it is the same thing about sequels: You don't just yell at it.

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moviexclusive from Singapore
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As unlikely as it may seem, it is a Dreamworks animation that we had most looked forward to this summer. Timed to coincide with the studio's 20th anniversary, the sequel to 2010's 'How to Train Your Dragon' could not come at a more opportune time for the studio - entertaining as they were, its more recent original works such as 'Rise of the Guardians', 'Turbo' and 'Mr Peabody and Sherman' have all underperformed at the box office, and it could certainly do with a hit to boost flagging investor confidence. But never mind that, the reason why we so eagerly anticipated this follow-up is simply because of how unexpectedly fascinating its predecessor turned out to be.

Yes, the story of a Viking teenager Hiccup who befriends the titular creature Toothless and manages to convince his village that they are friend not foe was not only a rare unadulterated crowd-pleaser, it also packed some genuine emotional heft with its bittersweet ending. Like how Toothless tends to do in the film, the big-screen adaptation of Cressida Cowell's young-adult book series came out of nowhere and charmed the socks off both adults and children alike, becoming one of the biggest hits in the studio's history. And so co-writer and co-director Dean DeBlois has returned to pen and helm this sequel set five years after the events of the first movie - though this time, he is going at it without his partner Chris Sanders.

Proving that two heads need not always be better than one, DeBlois' solo venture is no less compelling than the first film, and indeed sees the filmmaker demonstrate an imagination and derring-do which truly makes it soar. In a most literal way, that is exactly what the opening sequence delivers, which sees Hiccup's rowdy schoolmates - Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Tuffnutt (T.J. Miller) and twin sister Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) - participate in a dragon-racing derby which resembles Quidditch but with dragons for broomsticks and lambs for Snitches. It's an eye-popping and heart-pumping prologue, followed almost immediately by another which reunites us with Hiccup and Toothless, whose flighty adventures have turned into discovering new lands.

It is on one of those explorations that both stumble onto a fortress made from shards of ice created by none other than a dragon - not just any other dragon though, but a Bewilderbeast, regarded as the most venerable of the species who can easily command the authority of his kind. Within that fortress too is a mysterious woman named Valka (Cate Blanchett), who has dedicated the last 20 years of her life freeing captured dragons and looking after them in the sanctuary under the care and protection of a Bewilderbeast - and in case you've missed the trailers, this woman also happens to be Hiccup's long-lost and presumed- dead mother.

Instead of his stoic father Stoick (Gerard Butler), the emotional arc here is between Hiccup and his mother, as well as to a surprisingly poignant degree, between Hiccup's father and mother. DeBlois reserves the tender quiet moments of his film for the reunion between mother and child as well as husband and wife - in particular, a dance between Butler and Blanchett around a fire to their wedding song is bound to leave you misty-eyed - and makes sure that his film loses none of the heart and humanity that made the earlier 2010 one deeply affecting.

The villain that Hiccup finds himself up against is a tyrant named Drago (Djimon Hounsou), who believes that dragons are meant to be enslaved and used against the opponents whom he oppresses. We leave you to make the judgment whether Hiccup is being naïve or determined, but suffice to say that he believes in his heart that he would be able to convince Drago - as he did with the rest of his village - that dragons could very well be man's best friends if we allow them to. DeBlois plays Hiccup's naivety beautifully, culminating in some difficult consequences that reflect a temerity for the sort of heavy dramatic choices which would ultimately seal Hiccup's character transformation and ensure it be a genuinely satisfying one for his audience. Take this as a warning if you're a parent of a younger tot - it does get pretty emotionally upsetting towards the end, but the payoff is also undeniably rewarding.

The same can be said of each one of the cast and characters, particularly for those who recall the earlier film. Without ever saying a single word, Toothless still manages to be ceaselessly endearing, embodying not only feline affection and playfulness this time round, but a canine sense of loyalty to Hiccup. Each of the other dragons, however brief their appearance, are also designed with attention to personality. It is just as delightful to be reunited with the human characters. Jay Baruchel captures nicely the transition of Hiccup from teen to adulthood, and is just as appealing with America Ferrera as his girlfriend Astrid. Butler brings tough and tender to Stoick and shares some lovely chemistry with Blanchett in their emotive scenes together.

And if there were any doubt that the action were spectacular, well then let us put them to rest. In two words, the film is visually dazzling, and we're not talking about the cornucopia of creatures and backdrops. DeBlois once again concocts some terrifyingly exhilarating sequences here, which make ample use of 3D for maximum elation. It is a thrill- ride all right, but more than just theme part excitement, this sequel packs an emotional wallop that is both moving and uplifting at the same time. If you loved the first film, you'll be sure that this second entry into what is now planned as a trilogy more than brings this animated franchise to new and exciting heights.

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cmorrow-cmorrow
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First off, let me start by saying that I loved the first film and it is my favorite movie...........EVER! I had such high hopes after seeing the first one. Once I saw the trailer a few months ago I lowered them due to some of the characters no longer resembling themselves (with aging considered). I should have lowered my expectations even more. This was just a mediocre cliché kids film. nothing else. Everything that made the first amazing, enjoyable, original,lovable and different was gone. Everything seemed forced; the plot was all over the place. Hiccup's mother shows up after 20 years and after 5 minutes he's OK with it. There was a really awkward song that his father sang to his mother that was just painful to watch. I feel like there should have been some kind of recap also since everything was included from the cartoon series on cartoon network and i'm sure not many people going to see this movie have seen both seasons. There was a stereotypical villain, when the movie never needed a villain in the first place. It tried to hard to be too many things and to please too many people. Also, the score was very underwhelming. The volume of it was so low; unlike the first film where it was tied into different scenes, it was just thrown into the background carelessly at a low volume. There was some weird singing in it too.Just watch the first one again.

dragon|viking|husband wife relationship|mother son relationship|father son relationship|sequel|death of husband|sacrifice|rescue|self sacrifice|warrior|wife husband relationship|death|revenge|loss of loved one|dragon master|human flight|second part|death of father|box office hit|sanctuary|competition|funeral pyre|flaming arrow|singing|whistling|helmet|blowgun|no title at beginning|no opening credits|3 dimensional|boyfriend girlfriend relationship|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Argentina:Atp / Australia:PG / Brazil:Livre / Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) / Canada:G (British Columbia/Maritimes/Quebec) / Chile:TE / France:U / Germany:6 / Hong Kong:I / Hungary:6 / Ireland:PG / Mexico:AA / Netherlands:6 / Philippines:G / Portugal:M/6 / Singapore:PG / South Korea:All / Sweden:7 / Switzerland:6 / Thailand:G / UK:PG / USA:PG (certificate #49021)