Based on the books by Cressida Cowell, the “How To Train Your Dragon” trilogy follows the story of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, a young Viking dedicated to maintaining peace between humans and dragons. In the third movie, “The Hidden World,” Hiccup and his friends are faced with yet another challenger to this peace. Grimmel the Grisly, a notorious dragon hunter, will stop at nothing to slay Hiccup’s dragon, Toothless – the last known night fury in the world. Hiccup now faces the task of moving the Berk to a “hidden world” to protect both villagers and dragons.

“The Hidden World” made me laugh – hard. I giggled at Toothless’s antics in attempt to flirt with the light fury. I smirked at Ruffnut and Tuffnut’s juvenile humor, and I snickered knowingly as the Vikings, in search of the end of the world, dismissed the concept that the Earth may be round. I beamed from ear to ear as our beloved protagonists swooped into the scene as the main theme rang out to announce their heroics. I was on the edge of my seat when the main characters were launched into action – including fights aboard ships and dragon races in the sky.

But one thing this movie failed to do? It failed to make me cry.

I admit – I have a heart of stone when it comes to works of fiction. It takes a lot for literature and performances to bring me to tears. But this movie is the conclusion to the “How To Train Your Dragon” saga; I expected to be mind-blown and shaken. I expected the ground to be ripped from my feet. And yes, there were several incredibly powerful moments in this film, but I didn’t get the emotional impact I expected. The plot was a typical children’s action movie plot, the twist at the end was predictable, and I noticed far to many similarities between this film and the previous two films in the series. A dragon-killing antagonist? Seen that before. A battle in the air? Been there, done that. Plot-wise, I expected something new with this movie, and although this film introduced fresh glimpses of the world-building and backstory, the plot itself seemed far too reused.

Concerning the characters of “The Hidden World,” I was never quite fond of Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs, and none of that changed with this movie. We gained no new insights into their personalities; the movie left them flat and undeveloped. The villain, Grimmel, was the standard, stereotypical evil-doer. But this movie did have a fantastic focus on the main characters, Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless. We gained much more insight on Hiccup’s backstory, including scenes of Hiccup’s childhood as his father Stoick told stories about myths and magic, love and loss. The movie exposed Hiccup’s vulnerabilities and Astrid’s loyalty and support for her friends. Toothless, without even speaking, conveyed the endearing and relatable persona of a dragon who just wanted to be free.

Despite my criticisms I enjoyed this movie immensely overall. Returning fans of the “How To Train Your Dragon” franchise are bound to fall in love with the word of Berk once more, and I strongly urge those who haven’t watched the first two movies to see them as soon as you can. Scoring 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.9/10 stars on IMDb, even critics applauded this film. The music and the special effects were as compelling as ever, bringing life to the action on the screen. Its plot, although somewhat cliché, was gripping and its ending successfully wrapped up the events of the trilogy while leaving just the right amount of questions open-ended. “The Hidden World” was a satisfying resolution to the storyline that captured my heart and filled it with magic and myth.