How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Review

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Director: Dean DeBlois
Cast Headliners: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, F.Murray Abraham, dragons, others
Original Release Date: February 22nd, 2019
Seen: Mid-March 2019

       How To Train You Dragon stands apart from most of the DreamWorks Animation franchises due to what it is. It seems that they always bring the most depth, nuance, craft, meaning, and a tad dark sense of epic adventure while still having all ages humor. How To Train Your Dragon “3”: The Hidden World is actually said to be the conclusion of the franchise so it has its own important stakes to live up to. It definitely does for the fans.
It's surprising how narratively connected these films when compared to other all ages family fare. It really helps to have seen the others before this not just to get a greater since of some of the character's personalities for jokes but also where they've gone through.  Hiccup(Jay Baruchel) has formed a viking/dragon utopia in his village where the species live side by side in harmony including the ever adorable Toothless the Nightfury. When he's not leading things he's (with new armor-suits and fire swords in toe) on a elite dragon-rescuing force with his love Astrid(America Ferrera) and friends Snotlout(Jonah Hill), Fishlegs(Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Ruffnut(Kristen Wiig), and Tuffnut(Justin Rupple). At home base they're also advised by his now returned mother Valka(Cate Blanchett) , blacksmith Gobber(Craig Ferguson), and newer recruit Eret(Kit Harrington).   
Things are going swimmingly until they find themselves entangled with Grimmel(F.Murray Abraham) a leader of an army of dragon hunters. There's also the discovery of a “Lightfury” female Nightfury that very much makes this a “Toothless kind of movie” as well as the titular hidden world. The vikings set out on a quest and shenanigans ensue.
Credit must be given to this film for attempting to up the well....everything. More characters, more dragon species, more battles, more of the world etc. It's interesting to get a look at other civilizations with Grimmel going to some far places on the buildup for his dastardly plan. So too is the dragon's society given slight more meaning although it's of course undecipherable. It's also neat to see full on human vs human, dragon on dragon action at a larger scale than before.
Credit to director Dean DeBlois and DreamWorks for the visuals at play. Especially backgrounds and environments are gorgeously lush and realistic. There's bare windswept islands, forests, serene lakes, enemy wooden ships and bases, and the color-tastic crystals /  glowing flora of the underground. There's many great shots with characters and creatures(makes the cute cuter and the scary scarier) also having a really high fidelity. Some of the people can be a bit typical looking but it's not a bad thing. So too is the action cool and snappy whether aerial or grounded even if it can be  too short. Sometimes encounters and set-pieces seem to end in mere moments...it goes for quantity rather than depth over its screentime. The music is also great with epic orchestrations by John Powell which adds to the emotion.
The plot and characters are a bit more token although there's gems. Baruchel's Hiccup finally manages to mix some scrappy naivity and charm in with some fierceness and wisdom. Ferrera's Astrid also seems to have a bit more of a role this time on the front lines. Blanchett's Valka and newcomer Harrington's Eret don't seem to offer much but aren't anything to complain of either.  Of course there's a lot of heart and humor especially from Ferguson's Gobber.  The other vikings in the main crew all have their silly and or heroic moments although it can at times be, sometimes surreally,  very low bro. Still it all goes together decently when it counts.  There's also some alright flashbacks with Stoic the Vast, Hiccup's father(Gerard Butler) as well.
The villain Grimmel actually gives the franchise it's first great villain at its last hour. Unlike the merely grim brute force of the second film's guy he has a sense of swagger and cunning to him. It's a bit in a extraneous way of how he cackles and chews his way through the scenery.  It's just another thing that effectively gives more meaning and stakes to what's occuring.
As a whole it's more of the same but when it's this enjoyable that's not a bad thing. There's a little less “first meetings” going on and the way things shake out could have been a little more climatic (the close-calls never quite feel close enough) but by the end it's worth the journey of these three films. Get ready for some feels between the laughs and action...again...again. 8 out of 10