skrillrknight Reviews

Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021–2023)

Promising, if undercooked follow up to a beloved franchise

[5/10 · 26 December 2021]

As an enormous fan of How to Train Your Dragon franchise I was, like many others, not very optimistic, even doubtful for this show when it was first revealed.

While many of my concerns did crop up, my expectations were fairly low and I am happy to say the show surpassed or subverted many of my worries.

If you were a doubter, I would say to give the show a chance. While it is nothing groundbreaking, I do believe The Nine Realms will give most fans the feeling of a return to his universe, even if it is in the modern world.

Most of the stories are fairly simple, and the animation is a hugely mixed bag, but there are some compelling elements to be had amongst it. Feathers and Alex are two characters who are the most interesting, as having a dragon as a sort of support animal is both a new and rich concept that I hope will be explored further.

Huge props must be given to the composer who modernised, but captured the feel and soundscape of the Dragons soundtracks that have preceded it and honestly do the most work in carrying much of the show throughout its six episodes.

On the note of number of episodes, 6 episodes means the show is neither a huge investment for a viewer, which is good, but also leaves a lot to be desired, with rushed pacing and character moments that sometimes need more time to set.

I feel like I'm not able to give it a lower score in good faith simply due to the restrictive structure a short 6 episode season brings. In my eyes, they've done alright with what they got, and the first season essentially acts as an extended pilot.

While I really appreciate some of the nods and parallels to earlier Dragons iterations, I hope the show expands in scope in a lengthier second season to capitalise on all the promising aspects yet to be fully explored.

Arcane (2021– )

Excellent animation and solid storytelling make for great beginnings

[10/10 · 7 November 2021]

Though the basis of the story and setting are not anything particularly revolutionary or groundbreaking, Arcane functions at its best with its core characters, tight writing and gorgeous animation, truly living up to what is best described as a love letter to League of Legends.

From the engaging pilot to dramatic end of Act 1, Arcane's 40 minute episodes gives the show just the right amount of room to balance its various character arcs spanning the vertical seperation of its cities in conflict.

At the core of these characters is Jinx and Vi, fan-favourites of the game, who's stories have absolutely been done justice within Act 1 alone. Dialogue between the two is charming, and its hard not to fall in love with the sisterhood they share. This room also allows the show to well establish other character dynamics, some more captivating than others, but with a handful working super effectively, within just two episodes already making me empathise and feel for their relationships.

As Arc 1 ends its absolutely clear there is direction and room to explore and tease plot points to come in the next two arcs, and I for one cannot wait to feast my eyes.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Extraordinarily animated, epic, emotional and satisfying conclusion to round off the franchise

[9/10 · 3 January 2019]

With two other excellent films preceding it, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World caps the trilogy with a trademark maturity and wonder audiences have come to expect.

The quality of this film can be lended to cleverly intertwined story beats that make up one whole of a singular conflict which the film revolves around- Can dragons and humans live together? Or are they better served apart?

Utilising its villain, natural world progression, the core relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, and the introduction of a wild, untamed member of Toothless' subspecies, the film drives forward this question in a very clear (sometimes heavyhandedly) manner that never feels too overly forced and rather cleverly integrated into the heart of the tale.

Though the very beginning of the film take a little bit of time to find its footing (a recurring factor in the Dragons films it seems), when the plot kicks into motion, it sets the audience up for a rollercoaster of emotions that rarely slows.

Once the first act is over, the movie is paced quite well, never feeling too draggy or stop-and-start. Its 1 hour 44 minute runtime is just right and helps it from going on for overly long. It also attempts to worldbuild and give subtle hints of being larger in scale by introducing some Asian/Eastern elements to some new characters who often consult with the villain, Grimmel the Grisly, though they are not touched on much, only existing to give a little nudge in the way of the audience to remind them there is a larger world at play.

On the topic of villains, Grimmel, while exceptionally voiced and oddly charismatic in his writing, seems memorable from these two points alone (oh, and the extremely cool and iconic dragons he keeps around). Outside of this, he is largely undeveloped, giving small hints into his personal motivation which are left mostly to the audience to draw meaning from his implications, meaning he never really goes much deeper than simply being bad. That being said however, he isn't a poorly done villain, still posing a formidable threat and accruing a screen presence that is far more imposing than Drago Bludvist from Dragon 2 (even though he never quite does those menacing screams).

Now onto the meat of the story, which is largely Toothless, Hiccup and Astrid, as well as their new challenge in the form of an elusive Light Fury dragon who seems bent on drawing Toothless away. Hiccup, as expected due to the events of Dragon 2, is now carrying out tasks as the village chief. With this additional authority it only seems reasonable that someone such as himself would be intent on building a dragon utopia, which is shown on his island in a creative and colourful manner. Astrid, is much more integral to this film than the previous two, and her building relationship with Hiccup helps her to be not only one to assist his growth but to help drive him to take on certain decisions, which thankfully makes her much more involved in the story this time around. Regarding the Light Fury, a love interest for Toothless seemed trivial when first revealed, but the movie very quickly justifies her existence by writing her as a catalyst for many of the character changes between Hiccup and Toothless. Dare I say these two dragons may have been more interesting to follow than Hiccup due to an absolutely beautiful sequence that plays out with no dialogue, the dragons' faces showing such expression they may as well have been humans.

One unfortunate by product of the captivating protagonists is that it leaves the supporting cast on the wayside, meaning they remain the same as always, though this is only to be expected. However a bit more unfortunate is the lack of time given to the two new characters of Dragon 2, Valka, Hiccup's mother, and Eret, a dragon trapper who switched sides, leaving them with not much throughline from the previous film and not a whole lot to do.

The film's animation remains stellar and in fact one-ups the already beautiful Dragon 2. Props can be given to both animators and visual consultant Roger Deakins. While the first film retains an overcast, more naturalistic aesthetic, and the second going for a wondrous northern landscape with cool blues and warm lighting, Dragon 3 uses a striking mix of gloom and bio luminescence in deep purples and dusky oranges, representing its bittersweet tone and conclusive nature (like the setting of a sun), respectively. While not as much time is spent in the film's namesake "the Hidden World" as I would have liked, the scenery built in there are an insane visual feast and sure to remain in the minds of those leaving the theater.

I simply can't say much about the soundtrack, as John Powell is so consistently incredible in all of his works on the previous films. Though Dragon 3 holds a quite different feel to the tone of this music with a fair few new themes, it still has the iconic cues of the franchise to keep it integrated within his works, contributing to some truly epic scores, or truly heartbreaking ones...

If you are a fan of this franchise as I am, then prepare for the film to rip into your heart and toy with it, while if you are not as invested in these films, there is still a captivating tale along with equally captivating animation to keep your interest.

Many wondered if the How to Train Your Dragon franchise was Dreamworks' Toy Story, their crown jewel, after the success of Dragon 2 as a sequel. With Dragon 3 I can safely say that this collection of films has wholeheartedly solidified its place as one the greatest animated trilogies of all time.