How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Spoiler: what this movie is for the franchise. ‘HTTYD: Don’t!’ offers beautiful Wall-E-esque sequences which weave in and out of logical plot holes to ultimately unveil the message that integration is unnatural. Strange mix of comedic quirk and serious sentiments fails to soar to previous heights in Train’s shaky caboose.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Hiccup grows up and his world grows out, expanding to include contrived backstory, overly complex dragon rules and countless questions about how everyone knows where they’re going.  Teen friends flirt until frozen reunion leads to most tedious dragon fight ever. Despite stilted pacing and awkward arcs, still an entertaining flight.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Disney turns random Fantasia segment into better Percy Jackson. Cage’s quirkiness perfectly fits his magical mentor for Baruchel’s nasal nerd while ample effects make the show enjoyable. Implausible romance, completely unintimidating bad guys, and Pirates style random rule invention prevent this film from being anything other than a kid’s flick.

Tropic Thunder

Stiller triumphantly directs brilliant send-up of movie-making process. Downey Jr. is black and Black is Farley, with Cruise and McConaughey delivering their first and best supporting roles. Plot necessitates some suspension of disbelief but makes doing so easy. Attacked, not for blackface, but for ‘retard’ discussion. They’re characters, you halfs!

How to Train Your Dragon

Baruchel’s nasal voice and a couple minor plot holes aren’t nearly enough to bring down this fantastical animated epic. Combines fantastic animation, loveable characters, great story, Leonidas’ voice, and an adorable cat-lizard Stitch dragon to make an incredible film. Fans of Harry Potter, Madagascar, or Eragon should like this instead.