I was never more than superficially entertained, though I understand already many are moved and touched by it. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the sequel to the surprise smash hit from four years ago, a whipped up animated fantasy about a Viking boy and his tamed flying dragon. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel, voice) has to go up against a band of evil-doers led by Drago (Djimon Hounsou) who wants to use and abuse dragons while conquering peaceful Viking villages. The action takes place in the clouds, and in wild green habitats, always on the coast by the sea – the whole thing is a colorful extravaganza.

There are also plenty of harmless jokes and visual slapstick, like Hiccup typically almost crashing into a boulder or mountaintop with his luck dragon saving him just in time. The joke being, Hiccup is too clumsy and needs his butt saved. But Hiccup, albeit klutzy, is a brave crusader at best, and calls his fellow villagers to arms before Drago would construct an invasion. Hiccup’s loved ones engage in a war, and not all of them prevail. Thus, some audiences might be digging their pockets for folded up Kleenex.

I, on the other hand, am simply bemused by the plot turns and simply awed anytime the dragons fly in unison in the clouds. I am also, by history, an impatient moviegoer. When I see a big rousing battle in an engineered blockbuster like this, I know… it’s not going to be the final battle. The good guys get battered at first, so they can come back and defeat the bad guys when they get a better battle plan. Hiccup also has a falling out with his dragon before they can make well again. When the good guys lose the first battle, however, all I can think of is: Will it be more or less than 15 screen minutes before the good guys re-group and engage in a second battle that they can win?

Vibrant and with a plucky array of characters, it’s hard not to approve of “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” It also has a good message that probably nobody else will point out. The corrupted character Stoick (Gerard Butler) starts out as a bad guy before realizing the errors of his marauding pillagers, and without heroics, simply decides to stop his behavior. It’s never too late to switch to being good. I guess I got something slightly more out of it than being just superficially entertained. Younger kids might cry. Or younger kids might look up at their parents crying. I simply liked some of the things I saw.

Also voiced by Cate Blanchett, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

105 Minutes. Rated PG.

FAMILY MOVIE / MILD & CHARMING / WEEKEND FAMILY MOVIE

Film Cousins: “The Neverending Story” (1984); “Dragonheart” (1996); “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010); “Brave” (2012).