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Let's talk about VALKA

Posted: 25 Nov 2014, 03:58
by Demonwolf002
In Valkas defense as a character there is one thing I think the movie tried to get across but didn't do well enough. (also so this thread doesn't end up as to against her :P ) One of the themes behind the second movie is the idea that not everyone can change. Hiccup disagrees with this idea because of: one his experiences from the first movie and two his belief in that idea. Valka however doesn't think that. Were given that idea when she makes the remark that she didn't believe anyone on Berk would ever change. And there's where you're given the idea that Hiccup might not entirely take after Valka. That they are different and one of the ways they're different is their belief that people can change. An idea that was at least in some respects vital to the first movie. (Granted the theme of the second movie is showing not everyone can change but ignore that for a bit.)

Unfortunately the movie doesn't bring forth that idea well enough past that one comment she makes about Berk and Stoick. In fact they hurt that idea with the dance scene between Stoick and Valka. It's a nice scene in and of itself, but it does hurt her character. In the sense that she just accepts him to readily (not counting the fact that humans usually don't make up that quickly) it goes against her earlier comment/belief that people can't change. If they would have at the very least within that scene instead of the dance have made Valka resistant/abrasive to Stoick. I think it would have done better at bringing forth the idea that Hiccup doesn't take back after Valka that much either. And left the theme from the first movie intact a little bit more also.

You know this still ended up going against her a bit didn't it? :/

Let's talk about VALKA

Posted: 25 Nov 2014, 12:54
by thenightandthefury
If you read the script released, Valka does initially reject Stoick. It's very subtle, but her eyes closing is the indicator of her rejecting him, before coming around to nostalgia.

Let's talk about VALKA

Posted: 25 Nov 2014, 20:33
by HideousZippleback
thenightandthefury
25 Nov 2014, 16:54
If you read the script released, Valka does initially reject Stoick. It's very subtle, but her eyes closing is the indicator of her rejecting him, before coming around to nostalgia.
Still the script isn't what we saw on screen so it doesn't count.

Let's talk about VALKA

Posted: 25 Nov 2014, 20:53
by Demonwolf002
thenightandthefury
25 Nov 2014, 16:54
If you read the script released, Valka does initially reject Stoick. It's very subtle, but her eyes closing is the indicator of her rejecting him, before coming around to nostalgia.
That's one of the things I absolutely love about this franchise is that subtlety. This however is the one time I feel that maybe they were a bit to subtle with the emotion they were trying to get across. Or that maybe subtlety wasn't the best call here. One problem that can come from that subtlety is the conveyance of the correct emotions for the scene. But overall you have a character who chose to stay away for many years because she believed no one could change not even her own husband. So that's where the problem comes in, should someone who believed something so much that she chose to stay away from her own family really succumb to nostalgia that quickly?

Honestly as an aside I really do love that scene. On it's own it's a great scene and is really lovely for what it does, but because of what it does I feel that it detracts from Valkas character. So I feel that if it were different and more in line with what they were trying to get across subtly then it would have done so much more for her character, and I feel it would have made one of her last lines more prevalent in pointing out the idea that Hiccup isn't truly like his mom and doesn't completely take after her.

For reference the line I'm referring to is:
"You have the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon. Only you can bring our worlds together"