Berk's Forumvine

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DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon 2 considerably expands the world introduced in the first film, and that expansion includes a significant new presence: Valka, the long-lost mother of dragon-riding protagonist Hiccup, voiced by Cate Blanchett. The film devotes much of its sweet, sensitive middle act to introducing her, and building her up into a complicated, nuanced character. She’s mysterious and formidable, capable of taking Hiccup and his dragon partner Toothless out of the sky with casual ease. She’s knowledgable: Two decades of studying dragons means she knows Toothless’ anatomy better than he does. She’s wise. She’s principled. She’s joyous. She’s divided. She’s damaged. She’s vulnerable. She’s something female characters so often aren’t in action/adventure films with male protagonists: She’s interesting.

Too bad the story gives her absolutely nothing to do……

Valka is just the latest example of the Superfluous, Flimsy Character disguised as a Strong Female Character. And possibly she’s the most depressing, considering Dragon 2’s other fine qualities, and considering how impressive she is in the abstract. The film spends so much time on making her first awe-inducing, then sympathetic, and just a little heartbreakingly pathetic in her isolation and awkwardness at meeting another human being. But once the introductions are finally done, and the battle starts, she immediately becomes useless, both to the rest of the cast and to the rapidly moving narrative. She faces the villain (the villain she’s apparently been successfully resisting alone for years!) and she’s instantly, summarily defeated. Her husband and son utterly overshadow her; they need to rescue her twice in maybe five minutes. Her biggest contribution to the narrative is in giving Hiccup a brief, rote “You are the Chosen One” pep talk. Then she all but disappears from the film, raising the question of why the story spent so much time on her in the first place. It may be because writer-director Dean DeBlois originally planned for her to be the film’s villain, then discarded that idea in later drafts. But those later drafts give her the setup of a complicated antagonist… and the resolution of no one at all. (Meanwhile, the actual villain gets virtually no backstory—which is fine, in a way—but it leaves the film unbalanced.)

CityCreek

16 Jun 2014, 21:32

Making Valka a villain would make How to Train your Dragon 2 the inception of Animated films.

In other words, so much was already going on, and if that was added it would have just been confusing and all over the place for me, just such a busy story. *-* I have to see it again just to fully grasp the plot-line and details I missed, I'm glad they didn't overcomplicate it that much.

And...Yep...I'm a Nerd

16 Jun 2014, 21:58

Everyone got worked over by Drago! Drago smacked around Stoick the Vast despite the fact that he has half as many working arms! Hiccup would have lasted all of three seconds if HE had tried to straight up fight him. I don't know I just don't feel that the ability to be physically dominant should be the only way we define "strength" in a character. Valka has the courage of conviction, and the strength of character to absorb the loss of her husband while providing a source of courage for her grieving son.

Also don't remember the part where Hiccup and/or Stoick commanding a pack of fiery dragon cartwheels.

Eret

16 Jun 2014, 22:10

CityCreek

16 Jun 2014, 21:32

Making Valka a villain would make How to Train your Dragon 2 the inception of Animated films.

In other words, so much was already going on, and if that was added it would have just been confusing and all over the place for me, just such a busy story. *-* I have to see it again just to fully grasp the plot-line and details I missed, I'm glad they didn't overcomplicate it that much.

I don't agree, if Valka had been the villain and not Drago, it would have made the story much, much less busy. Having the two of them both be introduced and developed in the same film was way too much. Plus most of the movie focuses on Hiccup finding and reconnecting with Valka in the first place, its not until the last few scenes that Drago even becomes all that important.

And...Yep...I'm a Nerd

16 Jun 2014, 21:58

Everyone got worked over by Drago! Drago smacked around Stoick the Vast despite the fact that he has half as many working arms! Hiccup would have lasted all of three seconds if HE had tried to straight up fight him. I don't know I just don't feel that the ability to be physically dominant should be the only way we define "strength" in a character. Valka has the courage of conviction, and the strength of character to absorb the loss of her husband while providing a source of courage for her grieving son.

Also don't remember the part where Hiccup and/or Stoick commanding a pack of fiery dragon cartwheels.

I dont think thats really what they're referring to in this article, at least what I got from it is that valka did start off courageous and brave and unique but then she got the shaft in the last third of the movie and ended up doing nothing and helping the battle very little, even needing to be rescued- twice. For all the time that the movie spent on her, she didn't end up being very important.

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I recall Hiccup also needing to be rescued. And I seem to recall quite a few characters who had little to no actual impact in the battle. Honestly I could argue Hiccup was one of them. I mean his whole plan was talking to the murderous raving lunatic, then trying to reason with his clearly mind controlled dragon so that his dad had to sacrifice himself to save his life. In fact, if we wanted to further extend that argument we could really say that other than the two Bewilderbeasts, no one really had that much of an impact. I don't mind having a discussion like this but if you want to find movies that trivialize female roles, this is not the movie to do it with.