After how much I enjoyed HtTYD2, I decided that if the threequel was any good, I would not wait long to see it -- this time in a theater. This being an evening show, I avoided the noisy brats who detract from some family features while still getting reinforcement of positive reactions from older viewers.
There's less of a time jump from the second movie than there had been from the first. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), now 21 and chief of Berk, leads successful viking raids on dragon captors' ships. This presents two problems: Their isle is running out of room for newcomers, and they've gained the attention of powerful enemies. When the most accomplished dragon hunter, Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), demonstrates how dangerous he is, the Berkians pull up stakes. They want to make their next camp their new permanent home, but Hiccup has designs on reaching the fabled hidden world his late father (Gerard Butler in flashbacks) spoke of, where dragons should be safest. Unfortunately, his personal alpha mount, Toothless, gets distracted by the first female of his species to appear in ages, which is what Grimmel has in mind.
Don't get me wrong; the unnamed "Light Fury" (that's a Night Fury of a different color) is no turncoat and has no love for her captors or Grimmel. She spends a while sorting out her feelings for Toothless, the main barriers being his ignorance regarding certain dragon practices (looking to Hiccup for clues?!) and his affinity for humans. It looks as tho he'll have to choose between her and his companions of the last six years.
The scenes with the two of them, of course, make for gaps in dialog. If you're more interested in halfway developed human romance than adorable but shallow animal courtship, Hiccup has his own issues. Vikings are pressuring him to marry Astrid (America Ferrera), presumably because a chief shouldn't be single for long and the two do have chemistry, but neither is certain of readiness. It takes some highly supportive moments to move them in that direction.
One complaint I've seen is that Grimmel seems a rather small-scale villain compared to previous ones. I'll grant that he's an unruly mercenary rather than a warlord, and there's no one enormous enemy dragon for a change, but he relies on resourceful wit and good technology for the time. When it comes to action, his prime weapons are a crossbow with fast-acting tranquilizer darts and four brainwashed dragons of an especially warped and nasty breed. No, they don't come to their senses and go after him for revenge; this plot isn't that predictable. I deem him a worthy antagonist, particularly when he forces the heroes to deal with more nuanced conundrums than in the past. (I don't agree with the heroes' every action, but I don't have to.)
The other returning vikings? I guess they're as much fun to watch as they ever were, tho I wouldn't care to hang out with them in person. Gobber (Craig Ferguson) makes the best representation of the curiously Scottish-sounding old guard, tho half his deal this time involves spotting critters he believes to be ominous. Snotlout (Jonah Hill) is more obnoxious than I remember, openly hoping to win over Hiccup's mom (Cate Blanchett), as if that were remotely appropriate. Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) doesn't deliver blatantly gamer-like lines anymore; he's mainly just a friendly oaf. Eret (Kit Harrington), a former foe, isn't so bad, providing prior knowledge of Grimmel. To my relief, Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) and Tuffnut (Justin Tupple, not T.J. Miller!) have grown more distinct in personality, albeit equally insufferable.
Yeah, I never exactly got into this series for the humor. I always dug it for the colorful visuals, fun action, and tenderness that occasionally veers into poignancy thanks to considerable growth and loss. The third entry is no exception, bringing all that I'd hoped for.
If you liked 1 and 2, you may or may not like THW as much, but you should still find it worth a viewing. Personally, I put it in second place. I'm glad I caught it when I did.
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