I fell in love with How to Train Your Dragon eight years ago (it began nine years ago, but I got into it a year late). And I fell in love hard and fast. So, naturally, I’ve been looking forward to this third and final installment since it was announced. And, of course, I got myself (and my sister) into a theater to see it as soon as I could.
So I’ve had a bit of time (about two hours) since coming out of the theater to think about what I’ve seen so I can say it here. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it spoiler-free!
Rather than stick to my usual division of character, plot, and so on, I’m gonna go with a simple “what I liked” and “what I would have liked to see better”.
So, the things I liked.
This movie focuses on Hiccup and Toothless, funneling all its themes through them almost exclusively. Hiccup is still continuing to grow as a character. Though he’s embraced his role as chief of his village, he still struggles with his adequacy to rule. He’s clearly interested in taking the natural next step in his relationship with Astrid, but doesn’t feel prepared for that just yet. He loves deeply and he’s about to learn a few things about love — of a couple different brands — the hard way. Toothless, though similar to Hiccup in some ways, is also his opposite: he is very comfortable in his position of alpha dragon, he throws a lot of passion (and dreamy-eyed 
expressions) into a romantic relationship, and he’s more accepting of change. These two characters contrast each other, bringing together a fuller picture of the overall themes.
The support the leading ladies offer is also a lovely note. Astrid steps up to encourage Hiccup, to stand with him in his decision, and to offer a guiding hand when he’s lost. The unnamed Light Fury doesn’t do as much as all that (though, to be fair, she’s only just met Toothless), but she gets him to try new things and, at one point, does 
something completely for him even though it’s not her style to act in such a way.
The art and animation, as before, are beautiful. There were several times I just thought, “Wow.” It could have been an aerial of an island, or the colours of a subterranean cavern, or even just the somehow-softness of the Light Fury. You might hear people gush about “the sand” and wonder what that’s about. Trust me, it’s justified.
And since this is How to Train Your Dragon, we have to talk about the music. There are, of course, familiar themes from the previous films, but even more new music. Given the theme of change, it’s only right that the musical horizons are also explored. It’s light where it needs to be, grand where it ought to be, and oh so emotional in just the right places. I except nothing less from John Powell’s work on this franchise.
I also just have to say that I loved the way the end was handled. I will not say any more in that direction. Except that I’m getting increasingly softer in my movie-watching experiences: this film made me cry a total of three times (twice of which are toward the end).
Now, for the stuff that could have been stronger.
Character development. Not Hiccup’s and Toothless’: they get almost 
all the character development. No, I’m talking about side characters and the villain. Side characters have never displayed a ton of development before, excepting ones like Astrid, Stoick, and Valka; but there seems to be even less of it now. Hiccup’s circle of friends are mainly there for action scenes and comedy. Valka, Eret, and Gobber, while they all have a definite role in the village and are important to Hiccup, are largely left by the wayside. But I could probably forgive the above if the villain had been better developed. The easiest way to describe Grimmel is to compare him to forgettable Marvel villains. I’m not saying that the villain from the previous movie was a fabulous one either, but Drago had, at the very least more presence than Grimmel. I don’t know if it’s because we had a fuller picture of Drago or if he just had a grander plan that would affect a wider populace. Grimmel was smart and clever — which I absolutely appreciated — but he lacked elsewhere, making for a weaker brand of villain.
The story itself was not as strong as its themes. It seemed like parts of the plot happened simply to keep the themes moving, rather than integrating seamlessly with them. (Being a hobbyist writer myself, I 
know it’s easier said than done, but I think it ought to be pointed out here.)
There are a couple other things I wasn’t so wild about. Exclamations of “oh my gods” seem more prevalent (not sure if they are, in comparison to the other two, but they seemed to stick out more in this one). A young man sets his sights on a woman at least twice his age, which just seems really, really weird. A young woman behaves oddly about her opinion of her own attractiveness too; in one scene, it’s easy to roll with it, but in other contexts, it feels strange. And whether or not it was intended or even obvious, but I foresee some fans taking little bits about two male characters and running away with it. I’m hoping that the fact that PluggedIn made no mention of it means that it’s fine and that I’m just preparing myself to see some (more) wrong things in the fandom.
Even with its downsides, I enjoyed this movie and fully intend on making the trilogy complete on my shelf as soon as the DVD is available. Though I think it’s the weakest of the three films, it ultimately did end up sticking a solid landing on some really good themes and hitting all the right notes where they mattered most.
And can I just take a second to commend Dreamworks for the great job they’ve done on this franchise? I’ll admit to having an up-and-down relationship with Dreamworks films (that is, either I love them or I hate them), but How to Train Your Dragon has stand-out stories with a lot of heart. I fell in love and I’m absolutely good with that.
le Jam Cannery 
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