HTTYD 2 turned two today! It's pretty crazy to think that this movie... which I still feel I have only totally barely scratched the surface of analyzing... is now two whole years old. Haha, in truth I am pretty sure I've only ever watched through the whole thing about 12 times... which is not much compared to the 70ish times I've watched the first one. My reason for that is that this second one is such a powerfully emotional roller coaster ride that I can't usually force myself to sit down and watch it unless I've really prepped myself. Every time I've watched it I've cried at least once. I watched it again today in celebration of it's anniversary, and I think I'll do a tiny bit of discussing what I thought of it below. Click the "read more" if you are interested.
So, first off I think I want to apologize for my severe lack of posts! School was brutal, and then as soon as it let out I started looking for a job (haha, I've gotta pay off college somehow). The job I found isn't too terrible... it's pizza delivery. I've been doing that for five to nine hours almost every night of the week for the last couple of weeks, and it leaves me super exhausted. That plus studying for the GRE has eaten up most of my free time, and that is why I have been so absent. Still, it is great to be back now. I just wish I had some fantastic art, story, or analysis to post... Ah well.
Onto the date. As I said earlier, HTTYD2 is now two whole years old. I actually have not watched it since June 13 of LAST year. That's how much this movie rips me up and then sews me back together. I practically dread and anticipate watching it at the same time! No matter what, I always make watching it a special occasion. Today was no different. I bought lots of sodas, moved my families biggest tv into our smallest, darkest room, put on an HTTYD graphic tee, and grabbed my nearest Toothless plush. Haha, I actually intentionally wore the same graphic that I wore the first time I ever saw the movie. It got tear stained then, and it got tear stained today (though not half as much. I was a basket case after the first time I saw it).
When I watched it this time around the first thing I was really reminded of was how phenomenal the visuals are. As soon as Hiccup and Toothless rocket onto the screen during their "Where No One Goes" scene, my breath was taken away. The sky and sea are gorgeous, and Hiccup and Toothless both feel so lifelike. Toothless cutting so powerfully through the air just made me remember again why I love to draw him so much. He is gorgeous to look at, the perfect dragon imo.
I did cry just a little when Stoick meets Valka for the first time in the film. The sweet, loving, selflessness of Stoick in that scene is remarkable. I love how human Valka is in it. At first she is sure he will be angry with her, and I think she feels she deserves it. So she starts off with blistering accusations, just trying to defend her own wounded conscience. However, Stoick does not even respond to these, and eventually Valka starts breaking down. His silent approach allows her to do all the talking, and she eventually spills over with regrets and apologies. She desperately needs to see a response from her husband, and the response she gets shocks her. He loves her, in spite of all that she has done. He embraces her as if none of what she has said matters. She is his beloved wife, and the only thing he feels is wonder and joy. That scene alone is enough to make the movie amazing.
When Toothless begins to go into the red rage, I always have pretty much the same reaction. If I am really into the film, I will start to tear up, but whether I am that engaged or not, my heart always starts to race and I feel a little sick. I didn't cry during the red rage scene this time, but I did feel this unpleasant terror. That scene will always be one that I dread. It is in every way my worst nightmare. It is so horrible, I really wouldn't believe that it happened except that I saw it. Hiccup's reaction against Toothless after Stoick is killed is so genuine. It is the way I felt when I first watched the film. I know it wasn't Toothless's fault, but that doesn't stop that gut reaction against him. He turned into a monstrous, deadly thing, and because of what happened being rational about the event is practically impossible. I just feel terrible for Toothless. The funeral is beautiful and completely tragic. I definitely cried in it again. The speech Hiccup makes is without question the best HTTYD speech in my own mind. The way he viewed his father, and the dramatic steps he takes in his views of himself and his place in the world are conveyed so powerfully in front of Stoick's funeral pyre. Talk about an amazingly bold and moving movie...
And of course the ending with Hiccup breaking Toothless free is probably my favorite moment in the whole film. I've written plenty of analyses on it already, but I do just have to say that the progression and the selfless love, forgiveness, and courage of Hiccup in that scene is amazing, along with Toothless's turning against the powerful instincts of the red rage in order to come back to his best friend.
I'm so ready for the third film. The second one is so fresh and different from what you expect from an animated film. It is complex, human, and in many ways realistic. It is never cut and dry, and in it even the best of characters make mistakes and have to change their worldviews. It is gorgeously animated, masterfully crafted, and utterly moving. It remind me why I love this franchise so much, and it makes me see yet again just why Hiccup and Toothless will always be my all time favorite characters. I've fallen in love with lots of great fandoms over the last two years, but I still just can't enjoy any of them in quite the same ways as I enjoy Hiccup and Toothless.
2018 can't come soon enough. I have so many questions. What will cause Hiccup and Toothless to separate? If Toothless finds other Night Furies, will that be handled in a way that doesn't make it seem like Toothless leaves Hiccup in a flippant, careless manner? Will the film walk the delicate balance of being bittersweet in the end? If Hiccup and Toothless must go their separate ways, I don't want it to seem like it isn't costly, and I don't want them to forget about one another and move on as if they were never friends. BUT, I also don't want them to be miserable! It's such a tricky situation to handle! Then of course there is the question of how they will both grow, will Drago return as the main villain, and what will be the true nature of the conflict? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but until then we have two really phenomenal movies of Hiccup and Toothless to watch and enjoy. We're certainly a lucky group of fans!
No comments:
Post a Comment