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‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ is good, not great, sequel

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How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks, $29.98; Blu-ray, $38.99

Available on VOD on Nov. 25

The first “How to Train Your Dragon” was an offbeat animated fantasy film that became an unexpected word-of-mouth sensation, so the challenge for writer-director Dean DeBlois with the sequel was to take the original’s self-contained story of the dragon-riding Vikings of Berk and build it into an epic that honors what people like about the original. DeBlois doesn’t quite nail that here. The hero Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) goes exploring and discovers other, not-always-so-nice cultures that have their own relationships with dragons. But while the action sequences are as thrilling as they were in the first film, the story is overcomplicated, designed more to set up a third movie than to satisfy an audience. By ordinary standards, this is still a very good animated feature — just not as good as its predecessor. The DVD and Blu-ray add a commentary track, deleted scenes and scores of featurettes.

Batman: The Complete Television Series

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Warner Bros., $199.70; Blu-ray, $269.97

Comic book and kitsch TV fans alike have been clamoring for the 1966-68 series to come to DVD and Blu-ray practically since the formats were invented, but various rights issues have kept it on the shelf until now. Warner Brothers’ long-awaited DVD and Blu-ray sets contain an assortment of featurettes. But the real selling point is the 120 episodes’ worth of Pop Art sets, corny wordplay and hammy performances by Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. This is one of the last of the major television touchstones to get the complete-series treatment, which makes this release a major event.

Happy Christmas

Paramount, $19.99

Writer-director Joe Swanberg follows the creative and commercial breakthrough of last year’s “Drinking Buddies” with his latest, a low-key dramedy starring Anna Kendrick as an aimless young woman, Jenny, who moves in with her married brother Jeff (played by Swanberg). “Happy Christmas” doesn’t have much of a story, but it’s smart about how relatives and house guests can make even the coziest home feel awkward. The performances are terrific (including Lena Dunham as Jenny’s best friend and Melanie Lynskey as Jeff’s wife), and Swanberg and cinematographer Ben Richardson give the movie the grainy look of an old-school indie film.

Land Ho!

Sony Blu-ray, $40.99

Available on VOD

One of the year’s most lovable movies, this ramshackle road picture stars Earl Lynn Nelson as an eccentric retired doctor named Mitch who coerces his sad-sack former brother-in-law Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) to join him on a trip to Iceland. As the two men try to feel young and vital again — via a full schedule of hiking, camping, drinking and skirt-chasing — writer-directors Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz gradually reveal the decades of pain and hurt feelings that Mitch and Colin need to work through. It’s funny and moving without ever coming off as cutesy or contrived. Sony’s DVD/Blu-ray combo pack includes deleted scenes, a cast/crew Q&A and a commentary track.

And…

Getting On: The Complete First Season

HBO, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge

Millennium, $24.99; Blu-ray, $24.99

Available on VOD on Tuesday

Jersey Boys

Warner Bros., $28.98; Blu-ray, $35.99

Available on VOD on Tuesday

Let’s Be Cops

20th Century Fox, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.99

Mood Indigo

Drafthouse, $24.99; Blu-ray, $29.93

Available on VOD on Tuesday

Tammy

Warner Bros., $28.98; Blu-ray, $35.99

Available on VOD on Tuesday

True Blood: The Compete Series

HBO, $249.99; Blu-ray, $299.99

calendar@latimes.com

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