How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Although I wasn't crazy about How to Train Your Dragon 2 —don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, it just didn't live up to How to Train Your Dragon, in my opinion— I was still looking forward to seeing How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World as it is the final chapter of the trilogy. 

In this final entry, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and the other Vikings continue to rescue captured dragons and bring them to Berk. Hiccup's efforts to free the dragons, however, has made him a target for other warlords and Vikings, and pretty soon he and his people are forced to face an infamous dragon hunter (F. Murray Abraham) who uses a female Light Fury as bait to capture Toothless and plans on turning him against his friends. 

The plot is really interesting at first but unfortunately, as it develops, there are so many plot holes and inconsistencies with the previous films, that it's difficult to enjoy it. It doesn't help either that the story never reaches the depth and complexity of the first film, at times it so boring and dull, I lost completely my interest, and it's flat on emotions and drama. 

The characters, on the other hand, are nicely done. Not only they are still very likeable and therefore you care about them, but they have given more depth and development, especially the supporting characters who no longer have only a single trait to differentiate one from another —it's too bad most of these characters don't add anything to the story. The villain, unfortunately, is quite a disappointment as he's never as menacing and smart as he's said to be. The voice cast does a pretty good job though, even F. Murray Abraham who plays the weak villain.

The humour is also a bit of a letdown. While there still are some funny moments and jokes, most of the film's comedy is one-liners and jokes able to entertain only a kid. Sure, the film targets kids, but the filmmakers should have taken more into consideration the adults that watch the movie along with the kids.

Universal Pictures

The best aspect of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, as well as the only aspect of the film that doesn't even come close at being a disappointment, is the animation. Just like its predecessors, this third film of the series looks stunning —from facial expressions to movements to textures, the animation is top notch.