Over a month away from its United States release and early reviews for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World are already pointing to something worthwhile. The film will see a United States release on February 22 and although we’d probably be getting a much better consensus then, it’s pretty telling that the film would be getting a ton of love from critics.
The Hidden World serves as the third film in the How to Train Your Dragon series with its first film released way back in 2010 and the sequel released in 2014. Based on Cressida Cowell’s books, the films center on the friendship of a young Viking by the name of Hiccup and a dragon named Toothless. The films were met with critical acclaim with the first and second film scoring a 98% and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively. The Hidden World looks like it’s going to be following that above-90s score as the film currently has a 100% rating on the site. Take into account that- at the time of writing- only 6 reviews have been counted so it’ll probably go down once more reviews are in.
However, early reviews for the film are out and they point to a satisfying and touching conclusion that worth’s watching. Below are some spoiler-free excerpts from early reviews of The Hidden World following its Sydney Premiere.
Peter Debruge (Variety):
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World packs the emotional heft of the dozen or so years it has taken to get this far… [Writer/director] Dean DeBlois conceived installments two and three together, constructing a trilogy that enriches the original while also serving to entertain newcomers who know none of the backstory…”
Michael Rechtshaffen (THR):
“Pulling off a rare three-peat, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a tender, spirited coming-of-age CG-animated feature that proves every bit as emotionally resonant and artistically rendered as its 2010 and 2014 predecessors, if not even more so.”
Robert Abele (The Wrap):
“As much as we’d like the appearance of a threequel to mean, “Hey, here are all the cool ideas we couldn’t wedge into the first two,” the cold reality always starts with, “We think there’s more money to be made!” But sometimes, there are organically convincing extenders, and in the animation world, those exceptions include Toy Story 3 and now, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
Jennifer Bisset (CNET):
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a near perfect trilogy ender, safely landing an occasionally kid-unfriendly dragon ride. A story about a boy and his best friend, its timeless values are delivered with spades of wit and epic adventure. After three brilliant rides, we bid farewell to one of the best film trilogies of all time.”
Damn! Now I gotta watch this film. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World looks like it’s really going to deliver something fantastic. Hopefully what these critics are saying happen to be true cause it’s rare to find an amazing animated trilogy.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes , Variety , THR , The Wrap , CNET
