The first How to Train Your Dragon movie came out almost a full decade ago to rave reviews. It was followed by a sequel that was equally lauded by both critics and fans. This weekend, the third film in the trilogy hits theaters. Has the franchise been able to stick the landing? In a word, yes. Team CinemaBlend checked out How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World this week, and we all pretty much loved it. Mike Reyes wrote the official review for the site, giving the movie four and half stars and warning everybody to bring tissues...
For a series that’s never taken a shortcut, and always remembered to hit the right emotional beats without being manipulative, this grand finale does not break from tradition. The action is still thrilling, the laughs are still heartwarming and a bit cheeky, and when all is said and done, you are going to cry.
CinemaBlend's glowing review is far from the only one. The vast majority of the critics who have seen The Hidden World have had nothing but good things to say about the film. It's a real ending to the story that began with the first film, with characters seeing satisfying and real conclusions.
In the same way that Mike praises the new film for its emotion, CinemaBlend News Director Jessica Rawden focused on the beautiful visuals. This is one movie that not only do you need to see, but it's one you need to see on the biggest screen possible. According to Jessica...
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is astonishing—bittersweet and beautifully animated. The story is a fitting end for the franchise, which actually goes on for 12 books in its literary counterpart, but the visual marvel is what will be worth shelling out to see the flick on the big screen.
Is there any downside at all to How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World? While Mike and Jessica thought the film was close to flawless, CinemaBlend video producer Katie Hughes wouldn't go quite that far. She actually felt the movie started out a little slow, though it did eventually find its footing, and by the end she was completely on board too...
Hidden World was the perfect conclusion to Hiccup and Toothless’ story from… middle to end. The beginning felt slow and had a rather obvious and repetitive “we have dragons!” narrative. However, once things pushed past that, the movie was a perfect blend of Hiccup and Toothless' deep (and adorable) relationship, their need to mature and lead lives of their own and, of course, all the dragons! It was a finale that had me both in tears and absolutely satisfied.
My own opinion on The Hidden World is probably closer to that of Katie than the others. While I was absolutely on board for the entire movie, the early buzz for The Hidden World had me hyped up for something amazing, and while I enjoyed it, I didn't think the movie really was all that stunning, until it was...
The general CinemaBlend opinion is in pretty universal agreement that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a good movie, it's just a question of exactly how good we're talking here. Maybe it's perfect, maybe not, but either way, it's worth seeing and closing out this trilogy the right way.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is in theaters now. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
