Rating: 3.5 Stars

Nearly a decade ago, “How to Train Your Dragon” introduced audiences to the fantastical world of Berk, with a lovable, underdog protagonist that made everyone want an adorable dragon of their own. Nine years later, and “How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World” wraps up what has become a rather successful trilogy for the studio that brought us “Shrek” so long ago. As sad as it is to see these characters for the last time, the film is a fun, adventurous tale that ties up all loose ends and maybe even pulls at a few heartstrings.

At this point, any “How to Train Your Dragon” fan knows the characters and has seen them grow in positive, realistic ways. This is no small accomplishment for a trilogy, considering the temptation to erase all progress and send the characters on the same emotional journey over and over again. Instead, protagonist Hiccup (Jay Baruchel, “Goon: Last of the Enforcers”) has gone from timid and anxious to trying to fit into his role as new chief, struggling with missing his father and feeling inadequate as his dragon, Toothless, grows more independent.

What is the ultimate strength of this film is the connections between characters, particularly between Hiccup and his girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera, “Superstore”), who is supportive but not afraid to give Hiccup the wake-up call he needs to conquer the movie’s villain. 

Speaking of bad guys, this film’s antagonist veers away from a man bent on conquering the world with a dragon army (like in the second film), in favor of an experienced dragon hunter, still stuck on the pre-Hiccup ways of life. Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham, “Isle of Dogs”) is ruthless, calm and cunning, almost like he jumped from Slytherin house in the Harry Potter franchise to Berk just to hunt down night furies. As chilling and charming of a performance as Abraham does, the cookie-cutter antagonist can make audiences long for the days of 2010, when Hiccup was only fighting against his stubborn father in a much less predictable adventure flick. 

That leads to the major problem that this film has. It pales in comparison to the first film in the franchise because there are little to no surprises. Dreamworks did a good job of creating a finale that did everything it was supposed to do. Tie up loose ends? Check. Make the characters grow in a way that makes the audience smile? Check. Have a final scene that leaves viewers feeling satisfied? Check, check, double check. For kids, this is not a problem, but for adults, the pattern is obvious, and the film throws nothing out there to impress astute viewers with something they have not seen before. Every plot point is predictable, which can make the film boring and repetitive at times. 

That is not to say the movie is not a fun watch. There are plenty of cute antics with Toothless and his new light fury love interest. Fans also get to see the characters grow up physically and emotionally, and the visuals are absolutely stunning. The fight scenes are funny and exciting, just like what any good animated family movie should have. 

In the end, “The Hidden World” is enjoyable to watch, meeting expectations and checking every box for a good animated screenplay. Though it is a bit predictable and not as strong as its predecessors, it is still a fun adventure story fit for all ages.

Image from FilmSelect Trailer via YouTube