77
Metascore
48 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100HitfixDrew McWeenyHitfixDrew McWeenyThis is a sequel that has its own story to tell and that gets right down to it, and it expands on the ideas from the first film, but in a way that tells a thematically satisfying and complete story. In other words, this is how franchises are supposed to work.
- 90VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeIf necessity is the mother of invention, then DreamWorks’ desire to extend the Dragon franchise has propelled the creative team in the most admirable of directions, resulting in what just may be the mother of all animated sequels.
- 80Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzThe look of the film is amazing. The animation, particularly when the dragons take flight, is seamless.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinClearly, these films are the work of people who love animals. More importantly though, going beyond the pat eco-conscious message that every kids’ film has to have, HTTYD2 touches on how complex the emotional bond between a person and an animal can be.
- 70Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekThe plot is needlessly busy, and much of the action is more manic and indistinct. But How to Train Your Dragon 2 cuts deeper than the first picture — it will be particularly resonant for anyone who has ever worked with or adopted rescue animals — and there are a few sequences of cartoon grandeur.
- 67The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonAfter meandering for a while, the story kicks into gear in the third act, with a couple of legitimately shocking and well-executed developments that do pack a punch missing elsewhere in the film.
- 63McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreA cartoon with better animation and livelier action, if fewer jokes. If there’s one thing these sweet-message/great flying sequence movies don’t need is fewer jokes.
- 60The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinThe action sequences here are armrest-gripping fun, and you only wish DeBlois and his animators had been even more confident; held their shots even longer; allowed us to enjoy the whistle of the wind and the curve of the dragons’ flight paths without hurriedly cutting away to another angle, and another, and another. When the film flies, it soars.
- 50Film.comJordan HoffmanFilm.comJordan HoffmanWhat's unfortunate is that Toothless is starring in a toothless story.
- 50Slant MagazineEric HendersonSlant MagazineEric HendersonIt has the core of a genuine crowd-pleaser, but unfortunately something bigger and more all-consuming keeps getting into its head.