The predicament of the protagonist in the previous movie was that he was the son of the patriarch but he had no achievements. After a lot of experience, he finally proved himself. The predicament of the protagonist in this movie is that the son of the patriarch does not want to take on the overall situation. After some setbacks, he finally took up the responsibility of the ethnic group. The dream adventure of the first calf in this part has become a right challenge forced by the situation. In general, the positioning of this series is very clear and logical. Obviously, the content of this part is more complicated and even more heavy.
When he grew up, the male protagonist changed the image of Xiao Erlang and rode the wind and waves with a handsome face on the toothless boy. What unfolded with it was a magnificent scene and a panoramic narrative. Dance makes this story go to a grand expansion, and the theme to be expressed is not simple. The hero Hiccup doesn't want to be constrained by his father and the ethnic group, and at the same time, he doesn't want to be the person who "controls" the ethnic group like his father. To put it simply, a mother and son who are accustomed to escaping control meet a villain who has a strong desire to control. The problem the family faces is how to fight against this control. Hiccup's mother has the heart of the dragon, but lacks the bearing to care about the overall situation, while his father has the responsibility and authority, but lacks the perception of the dragon family, and the acquaintance of Hiccup and the dragon is limited to him and Wu. The scope of Yazai's loneliness and the internal divisions of the family have dealt a heavy blow to them.
Hiccup learned from the paradise where his mother and the dragons lived peacefully, that only through understanding and awe can he conquer the dragon's heart, and he felt the responsibility from his father. Only by bringing the qualities of his parents to himself can he respond to the dragons. The villain's control is based on fear of all dragons, Hiccup's control is based on respect for all dragons, the former is surrender, the latter is inspiration.
The previous work was about how humans and dragons get along, but this one explores the relationship between individuals and families, entire ethnic groups and ecology through the conflict of power and control, that is, how species find a symbiotic balance in the relationship between domination and control. . Including the relationship between Hiccup's parents is the same, the mother fled to avoid the authority of the father, and finally the father exchanged understanding for the mother.
From the themes mentioned above, we can see the ambitions of the creators. During the viewing process, there seems to be a voice constantly reminding, look, this epic movie. That's right, the world view in the film is very grand, and the scene of dancing with dragons is commendable. The physical reality effect of CG has reached an unprecedented height of DreamWorks, and the 3D effect is also very good, and it is obvious that it is The visual style is very similar to "Star Wars". When I went back and checked the information, I found that the director was paying tribute to "The Empire Strikes Back". Just look at the flaming sword in Hiccup's hand that looks like a laser sword. The way of interpretation of the story is more serious, and the emotional handling is also becoming more mature. It is basically a live-action movie, and this is a movie made almost entirely by motion capture, which makes the dynamics and performances of the characters more realistic. In emotional dramas It shows the complexity and delicacy that the previous animated films could not do. For example, when the mother and son recognized each other, Hiccup's expression could be described as "surprised to refuse but welcome", and there was a scene where the patriarch and his lover danced together. ".
The richness of the emotional scene makes the film not look like a big and inappropriate sequel, but if it is a problem, it lacks the wit and ingenuity of the previous work. The previous film was a movie full of details, especially Toothless and Hiccup were trapped in the valley. In the cramped space, the interaction between the characters was full of ingenious design and emotional tension. In this film, every scene is The sky covers the wild, but the grandeur of the big scene often does not bring freshness. For example, when the two giant beasts are in the duel, they do not use any skills and skills, and they are completely primitive and rough. I guess the purpose of this treatment is more. To pay homage to Star Wars at the landscape level. In retrospect, there are almost no jokes in the whole film. It is not entirely true that the main creator deliberately avoided it for the overall situation of the epic, because the armpit joke of an "ugly girl and a handsome man" in the film was actually used repeatedly as a treasure. . It is understandable why Chris Sanders, the director of "Crazy Primitives", did not participate in the film. For a director who likes humorous jokes, the style of the second part is obviously not suitable for him.
At first glance, the progressive significance of the male protagonist is to dare to take on it, but this role does not lack responsibility, he just does not want to be a leader, and his character problems only stay at the level of being maverick and "disobedient". Obviously not to let him taste the consequences of leaving his partner, if it is, then the plot should be successful in the end with teamwork, and warn you that you can't do it alone. Judging from the style of Hiccup at the end, this kind of foreshadowing is more to show his heroic qualities. The main creator is not only to let Hiccup learn responsibility, but to make him a leader who combines fraternity and courage. So the various settings and elements in the film are designed to make Hiccup tend to be taller. Furthermore, there are some plots in the process of watching the movie that make people less into the drama. When you try to follow the rhythm of Hiccup, the big picture in your father's mouth keeps pulling you out to a more "big truth". " angle, so the intimacy of the story is weakened, of course, who makes it a noble epic movie.
At that time, DreamWorks announced its rebellion against tradition with a "Shrek". After more than ten years, DreamWorks animation series did not seem to carry out the rebellion to the end. His routine became more and more obvious. Often the first one is What a counterattack growing up movie, the second one became a heroic movie. "Shrek", "Kung Fu Panda" and "How to Train Your Dragon" are all the same, the difference is that "Shrek" embraced the beauty prematurely and returned to the days when his wife and children were on the hot kang head, which made the series reach the middle-aged crisis of the story. , no matter how much box office he can earn, he can't make it any longer. "Kung Fu Panda" seems to be orderly. One grows up, the second one goes back to life, and the third one falls in love, so the series planned to shoot seven early, and "How to Train Your Dragon" also arrived like "Kung Fu Panda". The second part of Chase Roots focuses on family cards, and plans to shoot a trilogy of stories. No matter what, the key is how to evolve.
"How to Train Your Dragon 2" has taken a big step from the first film in terms of positioning, vision, scene, and emotion. For most of the time, I can feel that the main creator did not repeat his own bravery, but subversively used adult methods. It was really risky to make an animated film of this magnitude, and many scenes reminded me of A Song of Ice and Fire (the director also borrowed from Game of Thrones). However, ambition also has certain side effects, and it is often applauded and unpopular. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" has everything in it, but it also seems too regular and lacks the smart interest of the previous work. Of course, who made it a noble epic movie.
PS: According to the 154 review articles collected on Rotten Tomatoes when "How to Train Your Dragon 2" was first released, 142 of them gave it a "fresh" positive review, with a "freshness" of 92% and an average score of 7.7 (the highest 10 points)
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