How To Train Your Dragon

 

This review may contain spoilers!

How To Train Your Dragon is a live-action remake of the 2010 film of the same name and a loose adaptation of the Cressida Cowell novels.

For a long time now the major complaint about the live-action remake has been the way they have all gone through major deviations, essentially abandoning the original film that they spawned from. However, DreamWorks makes a smart move by placing the original creative lead, Dean DeBlois, back at the helm for this adaptation. This creative link ensures that the original message and narrative beats are conveyed effectively. We get the chance to see the world of Berk, only it feels a little more real as humans interact, fight with and befriend the titular dragons. Taking on Hiccup's journey as an outcast who wants to belong, only to develop an unlikely bond that changes the Vikings forever is incredibly charming. I loved that this movie didn't pull punches. Moments where a fight had to have stakes we would see Vikings fall or our heroes in real peril, Hiccup and Toothless' bonding was really gradual and nice to fall into and the Red Death's reveal is a genuinely terrifying moment in the feature. This film might have lost a couple of scenes but it largely kept the script of the original, allowing this film to bring How To Train Your Dragon to a whole host of new young Vikings in the audience.

The visual effects for this film are pretty good for the most part. I most enjoyed how the dragons felt so characteristic, they were entirely expressive and the designs were as varied as they were in the original series. John Powell returns to give the iconic score one more go fresh, each song really uplifts the quality of a scene. Hiccup and Toothless' first flight is one of those iconic film moments that stays with you long after you've left the movie theatre.

Nico Parker, who played Astrid, does a great job of bringing Astrid's character journey to life; Parker presents a more aggressive character who finds inspiration in Hiccup and Toothless' bond. Gerard Butler, who played Stoick, looks like he is having the time of his life in this film; Butler really leans into the comedy of Stoick more successfully than I expected. Nick Frost, who played Gobber, is an admittedly decent pick for the teacher of the next wave of dragon-slaying Vikings; Frost wears his character's heart on his sleeve a bit which works admirably. Gabriel Howell, who played Snotlout, is a ton of fun as the cocky young Viking trying to impress everyone; I found Powell entirely entertaining without being too arrogant in his character. Peter Serafinowicz, who played Spitelout, did a lot without needing to say much at all; his rough-edged father figure paired nicely with Powell's Snotlout. Naomi Wirthner, who played Gothi, is a performance that really added an intriguing element to the world of Berk; Wirthner's Gothi managed to be mysterious and mystical without even needing to contribute dialogue.

However, the best performance came from Mason Thames, who played Hiccup. I have no idea how far they cast the net for this role but it was clearly the exact right amount. Thames is nearly flawless as the live-action Hiccup. He has a nervous and slightly off-kilter personality that makes Hiccup a bit of an outcast in the Viking village of Berk. Yet, he also has such a big emotional range and is relentlessly earnest. I loved the moments where he got a more determined edge to Hiccup, seeing him fight for Toothless and for his people to change for the better makes How To Train Your Dragon the special film that it is. I hope Thames gets the complete trilogy, he has more than earned it.

For better or worse, How To Train Your Dragon is exactly what the original animated film is. Beat for beat this film is the same, so it will not surprise you nor unfurl some major new plot point to keep it fresh. I feel the big criticism for live-action remakes beyond why on Earth they keep making them is that they often deviate too much from the original material. Here they find the best from the original work, but that can also be its own weakness.

Overall, the biggest failure of How To Train Your Dragon is the visual camera work. I often found the cinematography missed the best angle it could have found in a scene, favouring poorly framed close-ups or shots that only really serve to set up a visual effect. While I think the overall special effects in the film are good, that first village fight scene was really average and many of the flight scenes are blurry.

Julian Dennison, who played Fishlegs, is a New Zealand actor who has really struggled to make his mark in a blockbuster; Dennison was awkward and one of the characters I least wanted to see onscreen. Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn, who played Ruffnut and Tuffnut respectively, just pushed the comedic relief angle too hard; in a film where there was plenty of humour present, there was never much need for performances that oversold it. 

One of the most faithful and entertaining live-action remakes in years. I would give How To Train Your Dragon an 8.5/10.