Review: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the latest film from Dreamworks Animation, tells the tale of a young lad named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who, after befriending a Night Fury dragon he named Toothless, leads a dragon safe haven as chief in a town called Berk. But when an EVIL dragon hunter (voiced by F. Murray Abraham) takes wind of this dragon paradise, Hiccup must lead his people and the dragons to a “Hidden World” where dragons can live in peace. Along the way, Hiccup and Toothless also discover a female Night Fury (a LIGHT Fury) that forces Hiccup to decide what’s best for his dragon.

The first two How to Train Your Dragon films were pretty dang good in my opinion. The first film remains to be one of the best animated films from Dreamworks and one of the best 3D films I’ve seen so far, and the second film was also a emotionally suitable, if flawed, follow up that progresses the story very well. I’ve been looking forward to this film for quite some time, especially realizing it’s the conclusion of the trilogy, and after giving it a watch I can happily say I was pleasantly satisfied with the end result. The Hidden World serves as a fitting and well made conclusion to this overall great trilogy.

Just like the last two films, the animation is what makes this film really work. The animation was incredibly detailed and beautiful to look at; it’s made even better if you see it in 3D honestly. The characters are still just as memorable and likable as before, the score still provides the film its epic scope from previous films, and the ending gives this franchise the conclusion it deserves. The only real problems that I found with this film revolves around the plot being nothing special and the villain being not that interesting. Outside from those I found this film to be pretty enjoyable.

Overall this was a satisfying conclusion to an unlikely trilogy. It’s not quite as good as the first film but it is slightly more memorable than the second. If you or your kids have seen the past two and enjoyed them then you’ll no doubt enjoy this film as well. If you’re new to the series then I’d recommend checking out the first two films before diving into this one, but this film is worth the dive nonetheless, so check it out and see for yourself.

Final Verdict: 7/10