Review: “The Hidden World” is an ending you’ll wish would never end
My first week in London was turbulent, to put it simply. This is the first time I’ve been this far away from home for an extended period, so I dealt with a lot of transitional anxiety and emotional upheaval that left me briefly wondering if I shouldn’t just turn around and head back to the States, where things are more familiar and I don’t feel so much isolation from the people around me (save for my classmates). I’ve connected these feelings to media ranging from Mean Girls to Paddington, two wildly different films that both follow a character who’s had to uproot their life and cope with an entirely new environment. Knowing that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was the definitive conclusion to its franchise, I was expecting a bit of the same thing in its approach to life changes, but I actually found it connecting to a part of life that seemed a little more distant to me. What unfolded was a mature and poignant ending perfectly fitting with the overarching themes of the series that, to me, perfectly encompasses what it means to come of age.
One of the How to Train Your Dragon series’ biggest strengths is that the second and third films don’t feel a need to restrain themselves within the formula of their predecessors. They mostly keep the same tone and style, but the characters show clear signs of growth between each installment. There’s a bit less leeway for that in The Hidden World, as only a year has passed in-universe since How to Train Your Dragon 2, as opposed to the five-year jump between the first and second films. But even with a shorter time skip, the events of the previous film have still notably changed the way the main cast interacts with their environment and each other. Hiccup has grown from the shrimpy teenager we saw in the first film into a more confident adult, but he still struggles to reconcile his own idealism with the needs of those around him, which is especially a problem now that his father’s death in the second film has left him as chief. In the opening narration of How to Train Your Dragon 2, he happily remarks that, “with vikings on the backs of dragons, the world just got a whole lot bigger.” It sounds like a wonderful thing, but in The Hidden World, we start to see the full scope of what that means for the people (and dragons) of Berk. Though peace between vikings and dragons was a satisfying endgame to the original movie, several years down the line it becomes more complicated.
And that’s what makes each Dragon sequel such a great continuation of the larger story — it’s not just an issue of taking on a new villain who wants to kill or control the dragons, it’s grappling with the longer-term consequences of whatever the protagonists did to achieve their previous goal. From the beginning, the series has been about characters trying to change their world for the better, especially the younger generation. But as that generation grows into adulthood, their journey forces them to cope with changes to their own way of life. This is carried over from the second film via Hiccup’s memories of his father — that loss has enabled him to see that life does go on after change happens, and the things you gain from a relationship to someone don’t disappear with them. Accepting this is what allows the characters to truly come into their own.
F. Murray Abraham’s Grimmel serves as an interesting antagonist for the story; he’s not the scariest looking or sounding, but you get a sense that he’s more often than not a few steps ahead of the heroes. The lesser villains who hire him to target Berk are forgettable, but they serve the purpose of showing that there are still more people with Grimmel’s cruel attitude toward dragons. There’s also a very minor subplot involving a rivalry (albeit a mostly one-sided one) between Snotlout and Eret, which doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s funny at times, and technically has a payoff in the resolution, but it’s not one that affects or is effected by the story and it ultimately comes off as sort of an excuse to give the characters a bit more screen time before the series is done for good. Something similar is done with Ruffnut, but it ties into the conflicts facing Hiccup as a leader, not to mention allowing Kristen Wiig some more time to shine comedically.
Definitely the biggest loose end the film is tasked with tying up in terms of character arcs is the development of Hiccup and Astrid’s romance. It’s been present in each film, but was a relatively minor plot point until now. The subplot regarding whether the two should — or want to — get married allows for some deeper analysis into their relationship, though Astrid’s reasons for being hesitant are never really looked at. We see more of what makes them work as a couple: their baseline of respect, friendship, and willingness to keep each other in check when necessary. But the issue of marriage feels like it could be dropped, and the progression of their relationship could easily remain the same. The conclusion still feels natural, but the introduction of the marriage conflict raises some questions that don’t seem to be answered, and as such the idea falls short of full realization.
I mentioned in my movie to-do list that I was skeptical of the plot point wherein Toothless becomes smitten with a female dragon from the wild, and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. It serves the story fine, but his love interest doesn’t show much of a distinct personality like the other dragons do. There’s also the issue of her design being notably more sleek and shiny (because how are we supposed to know it’s a girl if her features aren’t all glittery and smooth?), but the new abilities she displays are fun to watch, and she is still visually appealing and distinct from Toothless, which I suppose was the primary goal.
In any case, the film as a whole isn’t really about Toothless and his new mate — it is first and foremost the culmination of the bond forged between him and Hiccup, and how it’s affected the world around them. That dynamic is still the heart of the story, and it’s no less touching than it always has been. It’s a testament to the series’ greatest strength: even if some parts of the story don’t completely add up under scrutiny, the most important thing is that we feel the emotional weight of it, and by God, we do. Even the characters who don’t get the most development feel rounded out, and their issues feel real. Once the climax of The Hidden World was done, I found myself feeling a pang of sadness at the fact that the movie was about to end. Though I’ll always be able to go back and rewatch these movies, I’m going to miss having more to see of these characters. Whether it was a full-length feature, a short film, or an admittedly hit-or-miss TV spinoff, the cast, as well as the world they inhabit, has always been fun and emotionally investing. Over the last decade, the franchise has come to represent some of the best that DreamWorks Animation has to offer, and it’s been given a proper send-off. Though all three films are clear evidence of the studio’s ability to tell an incredible story that doesn’t dwindle over a span of years, this is one that will be hard for them to top in terms of quality.
Financially, well, let’s see what happens.
A junior at Hollins University whose penchant for Disney led into a love for all things film. Amateur film critic and aspiring screenwriter/director. View all posts by Mary McKeon
Originally published at miseensense.wordpress.com on February 12, 2019.
