8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America FerreraAdventure | 100% |
Family | 86% |
Fantasy | 75% |
Animation | 73% |
Comedy | 44% |
Action | 35% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Russian: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Estonian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Latvian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Lithuanian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Ukrainian: Dolby Digital 5.1
All Dolby Digital Tracks are 448 kbps
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
DreamWorks Animation SKG may be the Rodney Dangerfield of contemporary domestic animation houses. Try as it might, the studio responsible for such outsized hits as Shrek: The Whole Story and Kung Fu Panda can’t ever seem to “get no respect” (to quote the inimitable if grammatically challenged stand up comedian), seemingly consigned to forever reside within Disney-Pixar’s formidable shadow. Frankly some of this situation is due to DreamWorks’ propensity toward mimicry, with some of their efforts like Antz, Monsters vs. Aliens and Megamind feeling decidedly derivative, albeit almost always resolutely entertaining. Even recent efforts like Mr. Peabody & Sherman have been lambasted for being both too derivative (as in formulaic) and not derivative enough (as in not fully capturing the insouciant flair of Jay Ward’s original creation). One undeniable exception to this perhaps unfortunate “rule” has been How to Train Your Dragon, a film which seemed on its face to be yet another retread of sorts, but which turned out to be a surprisingly well rendered (in every sense of that term) entertainment that had unexpected emotional depth and an often rousing story. That original film raked in huge piles of cash at the box office and was also a critical darling of sorts, and so the handwriting was quickly on the wall that a new “franchise” had been born in the afterglow of one of Toothless’ fiery eruptions. Wisely DreamWorks and writer-director Dean DeBlois didn’t rush things, and the result is a rather well developed sequel that continues to mine Dragon’s enjoyable mythology while also adding even more depth to the character of sometimes hapless dragon rider Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel). While How to Train Your Dragon 2 may have another shadow to escape—namely that of its forebearer—it’s an overall very effective follow up that continues to provide heart and action in about equal measures.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D is presented on Blu-ray by DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with both
an
AVC (2D) and MVC (3D)
encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. For the record, the 2D and 3D versions of the film come on separate Blu-ray discs in this Combo Pack. The
animation here is almost palpably tactile at times even in its 2D version, with beautifully rendered
textures on the various classes of dragons and exceptional detail in elements as varied as costumes or even some of the Vikings' hair. As
superb
as How to Train Your Dragon was from a visual perspective, this sequel is at the very least its equal and arguably superior with regard
to
the often astounding levels of fine detail and especially its ravishing palette, something that really pops incredibly in some of the sequences at
Valka's dragon haven (teals and turquoises are especially notable). Depth is often extraordinary (again the Valka haven segments provide a
lot of background information and detail) and contrast is similarly consistent. Black levels are
impressively deep but never overwhelm some of the darker scenes. There were no issues with banding, macroblocking or other concerns.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D's 3D presentation is similarly outstanding, with an emphasis on that "out" part. While there's nothing
truly
extraordinarily gimmicky in the presentation here (other than a few scattered "in your face" moments), there is a glut of "popout" material from
the very first sequence, where the marauding dragons
seem to emerge from the screen directly at the audience. DeBlois and his rendering team regularly place stationary objects in the foreground
to
immediately establish planes of depth, with further depth inside the frame courtesy of background elements consistently exploited to excellent
effect. Some scenes, including some
of the
flying scenes with Hiccup and Toothless, are at least relatively more flat looking, but in group scenes with several pairs of riders and dragons in
the sky, there's amazing dimensionality. Overall, the bulk of the film offers superb visual immersion and my
display and setup showed no signs of problematic crosstalk.
Note: There are different audio and subtitle options on the 3D and 2D versions of the film.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 is as aurally immersive as the film's 3D presentation is from a visual
standpoint. The opening sequence sets a very high bar, with a whirlwind of surround activity as Hiccup and his friends battle during the Dragon
Races, a bar which is then regularly met and arguably exceeded. John Powell's score, which briefly recaps themes from the first film before
moving on to newer material, is also beautifully splayed
throughout the side and rear channels. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and the often engaging sound effects offer excellent LFE as well as
smartly placed directionality. Some of the nicest done effects are the various sounds emitted by the dragons, and in the showdown battle, there
are some very cool foley effects that offer short bursts of LFE and then a kind of zinging, panning whoosh as fire and the like is spewed toward
an enemy. Fidelity is top notch and there are no issues of any kind to report.
Note: All supplementary material is contained on the 2D Blu-ray disc included in this Combo Pack.
If we were permitted to give ¼ point scores on Blu-ray.com, I might demote How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D just slightly to a 4.25, for it does have a bit of a formulaic feel in terms of its general structure and those oft derided "character arcs". But that's more than offset by this film's incredibly smart update of its characters and the trials they face, as well as the introduction of a new major character in Valka. Savvily dealing with issues like the realities of adulthood, loyalty and (just for good measure) world peace, How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D is that rare sequel which equals (at least for the most part) its predecessor. Those canine cute dragons are just frosting on the Viking cake. Technical merits are first rate and How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D comes Highly recommended.
2014
w/ Bonus Mini-Dragons Toy
2014
with Bonus DVD
2014
with Sheep Toss Game
2014
Movie-Only
2014
Family Icons
2014
2014
2014
2014
2019
2010
2012
2013
2013
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2014
Collector's Edition
2022
2012
Power Up Edition
2023
2013
2019
2016
2011
Collector's Edition
2012
PIXAR
2010
Collector's Edition
2020
2019
1995
1999
2010