A Trip To The Cinema: How To Train Your Dragon 2

An action-packed fire-filled film for the family!

Now it doesn't really matter too much if you haven't seen the first of the sequel, 'How To Train Your Dragon' because (although you might want the back-story of just how dragons came to exist within the Viking town in which main character Hiccup lives), the film is just as dynamic, funny, touching and entertaining without it. I went to see the film with two other HTTYD fans and one guy who had never seen the first one, and we all unanimously agreed that it was a good film. 

Much like my review of Despicable Me 2, I have to say that it is the children (of course) that may enjoy this film particularly more than the adults. But that's not to say that if you are a parent taking your children to see this movie that you should find something else to do whilst they're watching. And that's not to say that you need to be a parent or a child to enjoy it either, as my 21-year-old also found it to be entertaining. Like most animated films aimed largely towards a younger audience, How To Train Your Dragon 2 has the ability of delighting the youngsters and upholding the adults' interest. I'll refer to my Despicable Me 2 review again here, because although there are plenty of main characters that we can and do attach ourselves to, we also begin to enjoy the company of the dragons (particularly Hiccup's dragon Toothless) much like we enjoy the yellow minions of Despicable Me. Although I'm not sure whether my attachment to Toothless comes from his remarkably similar qualities to my pet dog (although sadly he cannot breathe fire or fly through the air like Toothless...). 

With humour, romance, tragedy and action, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is entertaining and with the summer holidays here it is one to take the whole family to see!

A trip to the cinema: Despicable Me 2

So yesterday I went to the cinema with a couple of friends to see Despicable Me 2. As a twenty-year-old university student sitting in the back of the cinema, I could see parents dotted around the seats with their children and began to wonder whether they would think it questionable for girls our age to be watching a film whose main audience appeared to be small children.

Fast forward past the trailers and adverts to the beginning of the film and all worries melt away as you become enthralled into the world of imagination and fun that makes most of us who are past our teens feel like we have a part of our childhood back, which is what most of us wish for.

It was evident in the first film, Despicable Me, that the minions were the characters that added those extra laughs and that extra something special. I found myself at some points watching the minion in the background of the scene to see what mischief they were getting up to rather than what was happening at the foreground! It's no wonder they're having their own film, Minions, in 2014. I think what is so likeable about the yellow minions is that they are fun-loving! There are plenty of scenes in this film that have you giggling as the minions party and dance, and how they are portrayed as a large group of friends that are just out to have fun. There are a couple of scenes in the film towards the ending (which involves them singing) that remind you of drunken karaoke sessions that you might have had with your friends, or just the fact that you would only allow your closest friends to see you do the most random things (and that's what makes it more fun right?). With their language consisting of sounds like 'beebobeebo' and 'ekko!', it wasn't long before the kids in the cinema could be heard mimicking the sounds that they were making, which I think pretty much proves the minions popularity as a whole.

As for the children in the film (Agnes, Edith and Margo) you can't help but feel your heart warm by the character of the small and adorable Agnes. With lines that make your heart melt (she heads off to sleep and reveals to Gru "Your bald head!...Sometimes I stare at it and imagine a little chick popping out. Peep, peep, peep!"), she is another character that adds to the film's surprising amount of sweetness. This is a film involving villains and plots to take over the world, yet it still manages to tackle the topics of love and first dates, and a motherless child wanting a mother. And it does all of this with giggles, heart-warming moments and those mischievous minions!

The plot to the film is very easy to follow but it's not the plot entirely that makes this film. It's the characters in it and the way in which the writers have made them so special; such as the minions, Agnes, Agent Lucy (voiced by the hilarious Kristen Wiig), and even your average chicken out for revenge (trust me you'll understand when you see it).

All in all I found myself giggling lots and wishing that I was one of those kids that were staring up at the large cinema screen, watching without a care in the world, that could leave the cinema without having to deal with 'grown-up' responsibilities. But whilst leaving the cinema to the outside world and the problems it brings, I was still able to watch the credits roll up and suddenly outburst 'I want a minion!'

-Definitely a film to watch that will lift your spirits. Family friendly and with lots of giggles! -