How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Although I wasn't crazy about How to Train Your Dragon 2 —don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, it just didn't live up to How to Train Your Dragon, in my opinion— I was still looking forward to seeing How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World as it is the final chapter of the trilogy. 

In this final entry, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and the other Vikings continue to rescue captured dragons and bring them to Berk. Hiccup's efforts to free the dragons, however, has made him a target for other warlords and Vikings, and pretty soon he and his people are forced to face an infamous dragon hunter (F. Murray Abraham) who uses a female Light Fury as bait to capture Toothless and plans on turning him against his friends. 

The plot is really interesting at first but unfortunately, as it develops, there are so many plot holes and inconsistencies with the previous films, that it's difficult to enjoy it. It doesn't help either that the story never reaches the depth and complexity of the first film, at times it so boring and dull, I lost completely my interest, and it's flat on emotions and drama. 

The characters, on the other hand, are nicely done. Not only they are still very likeable and therefore you care about them, but they have given more depth and development, especially the supporting characters who no longer have only a single trait to differentiate one from another —it's too bad most of these characters don't add anything to the story. The villain, unfortunately, is quite a disappointment as he's never as menacing and smart as he's said to be. The voice cast does a pretty good job though, even F. Murray Abraham who plays the weak villain.

The humour is also a bit of a letdown. While there still are some funny moments and jokes, most of the film's comedy is one-liners and jokes able to entertain only a kid. Sure, the film targets kids, but the filmmakers should have taken more into consideration the adults that watch the movie along with the kids.

Universal Pictures

The best aspect of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, as well as the only aspect of the film that doesn't even come close at being a disappointment, is the animation. Just like its predecessors, this third film of the series looks stunning —from facial expressions to movements to textures, the animation is top notch.

Movie Review: SILENT HILL: REVELATION - 7 Stars

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I just saw SILENT HILL: REVELATION last night and I have mixed thoughts about it. If you are a fan of horror, the video game and heck, movies with a good story and characters than you probably won't be jumping for joy at the end of it.

However, I will say that the 3D looked amazing. The cinematography, 3ality Technica (3D camera rigs & expertise) and the visual effects saved whats left of the movie and actually salvaged a 7 out of 10 score from me. Without them we're probably looking at a 4 or 5 star movie.

Why? Where to begin. How about at the top - directing. Michael J. Bassett (SOLOMON KANE) just didn't get the job done here. What irked me most was when you have an actor of the caliber of Sean Bean and you have scenes where he does look all that good at all, you're in trouble. Bassett couldn't have had enough takes for these scenes or just couldn't edit it effectively.

Hit the jump for more...




**SPOILER**
Another example of poor directing is when Kit Harington's character Vincent literally tells Heather that he is part of the cult and was in fact sent into reality to bring her back to Silent Hill. HE TELLS HER THAT. Instead of showing her. Instead of having her suddenly come to that shocking revelation that he isn't what he appears to be. Instead of building up the psychological tension. *sigh*
** END SPOILER **

The acting was passable most of the time, but nothing memorable. Suspension of disbelief was broken in quite a few spots - too many times for my liking. For example the nurses looked real (great job!) but the spider creature I found to be too fake - not visceral enough for me. I did like the detail they put into describing how that monster came about though.

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The sound should have been much more too. It passed, but not remarkably so. Things like the town air raid horn should have used many, many more times to build tension - even little chunks of it worked into the score would have really given the movie that little extra push.

But the biggest two flaws of this movie to me was the lack of a compelling story and the almost total disappearance of the town of Silent Hill as an extra character. Yes, the location was so well done in the first two acts of the original SILENT HILL that it seemed to be alive and contributing to the telling of the story. It was that good. All that is practically gone in this one.

But if you enjoy 3D, some awesome visual effects and one particularly good battle scene at the end (with respectable background info to amp it up), then by all means go see it! Definitely in 3D. 

7 out of 10 stars.

Special thanks to Empire Theatres for the screening in RealD 3D. The screen was crisp and well lit as well as a perfect sound level!

New Poster For SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D

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Check out the new poster for SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D. I have high hopes for this movie and I suppose the story could go either way so fingers crossed. Of all the movie adaptations of video games out there, this one was the one that held the most promise for me. The first 2D movie delivered two solid first acts but more or less failed for me in the third, so I'm anxious to see the results of this one.

The great news is the cast and of course native 3D! We have Sean Bean, Carrie-Anne Moss, Radha Mitchell, Adelaide Clemens and Kit Harington headlining this thing and the very talented and industry leading 3D camera rigs of 3ality Techica (THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, THE GREAT GATSBY, PROMETHEUS, TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D to name a few). I'm so amped about entering into Silent Hill again.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Heather Mason (Adelaide Clemens) and her father (Sean Bean) have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn’t fully understand. Now on the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by horrific nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather discovers she’s not who she thinks she is. The revelation leads her deeper into a demonic world that threatens to trap her forever.

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D ratchets up the tension once again on October 26.

Must See: New Poster For SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D

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That is one enigmatic poster! So tell me what you see in it... The guy with the sword has a snowplow blade helmet on or what? Or is he looking through something? :-)

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D stars SEAN BEAN (HBO’s Game Of Thrones, Lord Of The Rings), RADHA MITCHELL (Man On Fire, The Crazies), ADELAIDE CLEMENS (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), KIT HARINGTON (HBO’s Game Of Thrones), CARRIE-ANNE MOSS (The Matrix, Disturbia), MALCOLM MCDOWELL (A Clockwork Orange, The Artist) and directed by Michael J. Bassett (SOLOMON KANE).

Here's the movie's storyline:
Heather Mason (Adelaide Clemens) and her father (Sean Bean) have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn't fully understand. Now on the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by horrific nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather discovers she's not who she thinks she is. The revelation leads her deeper into a demonic world that threatens to trap her forever.

Official YouTube Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f06VJSsh8II&feature=youtu.be
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SilentHillRevelation
Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/silenthillmovie

#WelcomeToSilentHill

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D hits theaters everywhere October 26, 2012.

MUST WATCH: First Trailer For SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D Remembers The Magic!

I am a huge fan of SILENT HILL from it's video game beginnings to the first movie. Now comes a much anticipated sequel and it looks to be captured some of that (dark) magic once again.

For me it wasn't the creatures as much as it was the town that got to me. I was really hoping for more of that feeling of dread in this one. The trailer reveals some of what I am looking for, but also a desire to show off creatures in full light - something that I am uneasy with, because I am a bit of a purist with this series. After all, it's more of a psychological horror than anything else. I won't go into specifics right now because I don't want to ruin the trailer for you, but all in all my anticipation is still very much there.

But oh, that town. The presence of a wicked unknown, bridging what's real with the supernatural. It's such a tricky place to finally reveal the evil behind the dread so I will reserve full judgement until after seeing the movie, to which I will be first in line. The falling soot and ashes will look SPECTACULAR in 3D, especially as this movie is being shot in native 3D using 3ality Technica rigs! Such a great setting, one of the best I have ever seen. SILENT HILL affects my location writing more than any other movie (yes, I'm writing!).

GAME OF THRONES talent clearly has an impact on the casting as Sean Bean returns to the franchise bringing Kit Harington along with him.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Based on the groundbreaking video game franchise, SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D is the sequel to the hit film SILENT HILL, which opened to number one at the U.S. box office and took in nearly $100 million at the worldwide box office. Featuring an unparalleled horror experience, Konami’s Silent Hill franchise has captivated fans for more than a decade and has spawned a hit comic book series, graphic novels, collectible action figures and numerous soundtracks from rock bands. In SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D, Heather Mason (Clemens) and her father (Bean) have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn’t fully understand. On the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by horrific nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather discovers she’s not who she thinks she is. The revelation leads her deeper into a demonic world that threatens to trap her forever.

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D opens on October 26.

MUST SEE: New Movie Clip From SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D!

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I've been waiting for this movie for a long time! I think a lot of you have too. I'm a big fan of the first movie, well the first two acts at least. So when news came that there will be clips from the movie at Comic-Con I was ecstatic. 

Here's a clip that you can view now that reveals some of the creatures. I thought that the build up in the first movie BEFORE you see any creatures was amazing and that you could cut the tension with a knife. I'm hopeful that the sequel will continue in the same mold.

I like the unpredictability of the creatures in this clip. There's huge potential in the Silent Hill franchise and with the original actors coming back including Sean Bean in this sequel, I'm hoping for a huge hit for this native 3D movie, being rigged by the experts over at 3ality Technica.

After the clip, check out what was said at their panel...

Here's the movie's storyline:
Based on the groundbreaking video game franchise, SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D is the sequel to the hit film SILENT HILL, which opened to number one at the U.S. box office and took in nearly $100 million at the worldwide box office. Featuring an unparalleled horror experience, Konami’s Silent Hill franchise has captivated fans for more than a decade and has spawned a hit comic book series, graphic novels, collectible action figures and numerous soundtracks from rock bands. In SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D, Heather Mason (Clemens) and her father (Bean) have been on the run, always one step ahead of dangerous forces that she doesn’t fully understand. On the eve of her 18th birthday, plagued by horrific nightmares and the disappearance of her father, Heather discovers she’s not who she thinks she is. The revelation leads her deeper into a demonic world that threatens to trap her forever.

Here's what JoBlo had to say about the panel:

The panel began with two clips:

#1: A girl frees her friend who’s encased in some kind of web or tape, just as a weird spider-like creature made up of mannequin parts begins to come after them. The mannequin monster was CGI and looked more silly than scary. (Though I haven’t played the Silent Hill games, so this might be something I’m just not familiar with.) The two girls take off running, with one telling the other she got lost in the fog.

#2 (The clip in this post): Kit Harrington (Jon Snow from Game of Thrones) is strapped to a table in a room filled with those creepy knife-wielding nurses from the first movie. A girl comes in and offers to free him if he helps her find her dad. The nurses are almost motion activated, so every time she moves to cut his straps they moved a bit closer to them. She cuts the final strap just as the nurse gets to them—typical tension stuff.

Director Michael J Basset (SOLOMON KANE), actress Adelaide Clemens and producer Samuel Hadida then came out to address the crowd.

- SILENT HILL: REVELATIONS is a sequel to the first movie, an adaptation of the third game, but also works as a standalone film. There will be easter eggs for fans of the series.

- The mannequin monster is the only adversary in the film that was not done practically on set. It was inspired by the game but they developed it further.

- Basset said the movie is a hard R and the clips we saw were the only PG-13 parts of the movie. “I didn’t want to scare the Hobbit fans out there.”

- He said they’re taking the character of Sharon from the first film and turning her in to Heather in this film. Supposedly that’s explained at some point.

- The film was shot in 3D, not post converted. Bassett was initially not a fan of the format but said if there ever was a universe to immerse yourself in, it’s this one.

- Members of Konami and Universal Studios came out for a special announcement: the launch of a Silent Hill maze attraction at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando during their Halloween Horror Nights this October.

- Sean Bean returns for the sequel, prompting someone from the audience to ask if he dies in this movie like he does in every other role. Bassett’s answer was “Yes and no. You have to see the movie to understand. You’ll have something to add to the [Sean Bean Death Montage] YouTube video, but not in the way you expect.”

*Rubs hands together* SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D opens on October 26.