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davidahallnum5
Jan 97 min read

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 3D Blu-ray Review

MOVIE REVIEW

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is the third and final installment in the groundbreaking and consistently amazing How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. It's been several years after the events of the last film and since then, Hiccup, Toothless, and their ragtag gang from Berk have rescued dozens of dragons from dragon capturers. However, a new threat is starting to rise, a dragon capturer named Grimmel. At first, Hiccup believes him to be simply another measly guy that can be fought and easily won. But when Grimmel gets closer to Berk, Hiccup discovers there's more to his plan, and his methods, than he first thought. So he announces to the whole village that the only way to save their dragons from him is to take them to the hidden world his father talked about. And what follows is a journey precisely to that hidden world that includes peril, clever strategizing, and even a bit of romance as Toothless finds a light fury that could potentially be his partner.

What's impressed me so much with the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is not just that it hit the ground running with it's incredible first film, but also how it keeps that momentum following up until the story's conclusion. I know I spent about two paragraphs in my review of the last movie complaining about a few things it could've done better. But that doesn't reflect my overall feelings towards it. I still felt it to be not only a solid movie, but also mature and thoughtful, more so than most animated films that hit the market. And that sentiment rings true for this latest installment to the franchise.

In all honesty, I struggle to find much more to say about HTTYD 3 because I'd essentially be finding myself repeating things I've said about the previous films. However, I believe that to be a good thing. All three of these movies have created and expanded the world of Hiccup and Toothless, the conflicts have always been engaging and added new dimensions to the characters we know and love, the execution on the new ideas are pulled off expertly, and the visuals get progressively more polishing and stunning with each film. I guess that's why if there's something that doesn't quite measure up to those standards, I'm so quick to point it out. Thankfully, there's not many flaws to point out with this one. If I had to pick one, I'd maybe say making the villain a dragon trapper seems a bit reminiscent of the last movie. And while his motivations and way of thinking (which I won't spoil for you) are quite unique, his overall plan isn't quite as epic or grand as Drago's plan. But that's about it. The themes they introduce here involving that of lasting love, marriage, and inevitable partings are not only well-crafted and perfectly balanced out with comedy and action, but they lend themselves well to the franchise's overall maturity and grown-up outlook on life. And the bittersweet ending the culmination of those themes leads to is genuinely emotional and well-deserved.

Do I recommend How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World? Absolutely, but only if you're familiar with the first two films. While plopping right into this without seeing the past stories of these characters may not diminish your understanding of the plot, but it'll minimize the emotional impact the film seeks to deliver. If you have seen the other films, though, put this one on and enjoy yourself the perfect end to the perfect trilogy.


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4/5


3D REVIEW

A lot like the film itself, I'm struggling to find things to say about the 3D in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Not because it's not incredible, it is. But the reasons it works are mainly the same reasons the 3D in the other HTTYD movies have worked so well: immense depth, gorgeous landscapes, and high-flying action. I guess where I might find material to write is in comparing it to the other two films in the series. So, is this installment's 3D in comparison to the other two movies? Well, in all honesty, it might just be on par with the first movie. I don't think it's quite as surprisingly impressive as the first movie's 3D was. But objectively, it's still an absolute banger and one of the best 3D presentations in recent years, and it is actually a notch or two above the second one. While HTTYD 2's 3D was undeniably excellent, the one slight nitpick I had with it was just simply that I felt the 3D, when it was grounded, didn't impress as much as the first film. HTTYD 3 on the other hand, keeps its 3D top-notch throughout.

Of course, all the usual stuff is here: views that look like you can see for miles, especially on the sea or in the mountains, dragons flying through the skies offering either eye-candy when the camera is grounded or thrills when you're up there with them, and plenty of other stuff like fire-breathe and dragons poking their heads out at you. But like I said, I feel like all those things are in greater quantity here than they were in the previous movie. And they happen sometimes in its own unique ways. Right from the start, you have characters emerging from the fog, freeing dragons from ships that have large scale. In Berk, there are a lot more dragons flying around the sky or moving around on the ground than before. There are a couple of scenes with interesting crowds shots of people with viking hats on. The hidden world itself is a cave full of bright colors and pillars that in a way kinda rivals the jungles of Pandora from Avatar. The flight sequences stun, as always. But there's one in particular with Toothless and his light fury girlfriend that involves flying over a cliff and into a vortex, and breathing out balls of energy. And it also has a couple decent lightning shots I haven't seen since, and I can't believe I'm saying this, Clash of the Titans (look there were a few good 3D shots in that one, and the ones involving lightning were a few of them). And the climax of the film not only takes place on a whole fleet of large ships, similar to that from the beginning, but it also has a flying apparatus Toothless is trapped on that offers some excellent composition with chains, the wooden structure, and the great heights.

Sure, the depth in the screen is very deep and utilized super well. But what about stuff that comes out of the screen? Thankfully, this is also where the 3D here matches up to the first movie as there is a lot of fun being had before the window. Yes, you get your typical dragon or human characters showing up. But even at the beginning, there's everything from dragons to cages to a fire sword, which Hiccup tends to hold or throw our way quite often. And throughout the film, other fun pop outs include things such as fire, balls of the energy the light fury shoots out, sparks from flames, hordes of dragons, a crossbow, and even the climax even includes a shot of a large arrow that struck me by surprise. While I wouldn't say anything here really matches up to the fire dragon jump scare we got from the first movie, it does come close plenty of times.

How to Train Your Dragon hasn't just always been a franchise about engaging the viewer from a story standpoint, but also a 3D one. And this film continues to show that Dreamworks hasn't given that up. Like with the first film, this is a movie I wish I was able to see in 4DX as not are the 3D effects mesmerizing, but they'd go like peanut butter and jelly to the aforementioned "high-flying action." Alas, I did not. But the good news is the 3D Blu-ray exists so viewers can catch a glimpse of HTTYD 3 the way it was intended. If you've seen the prior two films in 3D but haven't checked out this one yet in that same format, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and do so. What better way to round out the trilogy?


3D RATING: EXCELLENT


OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D:




FINAL THOUGHTS


Like always, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World proves that this franchise is truly made with passion through it's mature, highly investable continuation of its characters and their stories, and it's amazing visuals. It's also the ending to this equally enjoyable and thought-provoking saga. And luckily, it goes out on a high note. I know Hollywood has a bad habit of going back and milking old IPs. But hopefully, they'll lay this franchise to rest. A lot like the Toy Story trilogy, this series stands as an example of how to properly create a larger-than-life story that deserves to span multiple movies, how to hit every beat with excellence, and how to have a staying power in people long after the story is concluded. I personally can't think of any way to top it. The Hidden World does its job of closing out the tale of Hiccup and Toothless with flair. While true, it stand well enough on its own two feet as a great movie. But if you're a fan of the HTTYD franchise, you simply owe it to yourself to see it. As for the 3D, it's just as crucial to the experience as it was to the other 2 films. It may have came out during a time when 3D wasn't really so much in the public eye anymore. But it just goes to show how even nowadays, 3D can still be used to make visuals more immersive, the action more intense, and the story more engaging. Like I said before, the 3D here is probably almost as good as the 3D in the original film. But I think because we live in the time we do, no one really says much about it. Luckily, that's what The 3D Dinosaur is here to do. Still, while good 3D movies may not be too hard to come by nowadays, good stories often are. And luckily HTTYD 3 serves as a great example of both of those things. Once again, I don't recommend it unless you've watched the first two films. But if you have, go and experience this wonder of 3D visuals and great storytelling.


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