Plot Summary: As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.

Director: Dean DeBlois

Writers: Dean DeBlois, Cressida Cowell, William Davies

Runtime: 2 hours 5 min

• Mason Thames as Hiccup
• Nico Parker as Astrid
• Gerard Butler as Stoick
• Nick Frost as Gobber
• Gabriel Howell as Snotlout
• Julian Dennison as Fishlegs
• Bronwyn James as Ruffnut
• Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut

Review by: Samuel

What I Liked:

A worthy adaptation- that is what I thought as I walked out of the theater having seen the live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon.” The original animated version came out back in 2010, and it still holds up today, and is likely going to be the better version to a majority of people (myself included). However, unlike other live-action remakes of late, I feel this one had a level of care and dedication that makes it feel like the intent was to recapture the joy of the original rather than to make something just for the money. 

With that, I can say that if you watched and liked the original, you will have no issues with this live-action remake. If this is your first foray into the world of How to Train Your Dragon, then you are in for a treat. 

The story revolves around Hiccup – a young Viking whose clan has been at war with dragons for as long as anyone can remember. Hiccup, however, does not like violence and would prefer not to fight the dragons, which leads him to be mocked and shunned by the others. Things get more complicated when Hiccup secretly discovers a dragon and, instead of killing it, keeps it hidden and befriends it. The plot then develops from there with Hiccup and his new dragon pal (named Toothless) trying to coexist and change a world that has determined they should be enemies. The first thing you’ll notice is that this film is beautifully made. A combination of practical effects and CGI does wonders here. The dragons, in particular, are rendered amazingly. You are aware that what you’re seeing doesn’t actually exist, but they’re brought to life and blended into the world so well that you see them as characters rather than computer-generated objects. On the practical side of things, I have to shout out the wardrobe and set designs. I am fairly certain this is not a 100% accurate representation of Viking culture, but the houses, clothing, villages, armor, and swords fit perfectly into the world crafted for this film. The level of detail, even in the stitching of their everyday wear, clearly took time. I wanted to make sure the wardrobe designers got their kudos. 

The action/adventure aspect is also top-notch. POV scenes (shot with a drone), again combined with both practical and CGI effects, make you feel like you are part of this world. The first flight Hiccup takes with Toothless had me smiling ear to ear as we shot above the clouds, dashed through mountain passes, and coasted over the water. Similarly, I felt the tension when fights against the more aggressive dragons were occurring, as fire was spewing and boulders were being hurled through the air. All around excellent job. 

Now, the cast….is fine. Gerard Butler is the standout, and I should not have been as surprised as I was by that. He is a fantastic actor and is reprising his character from the animated film. He brought the full range of emotions from joy to sadness and everything in between. There is one scene I won’t forget in which he explodes with a combination of regret, anger, and sadness at his son (Hiccup) that had my jaw drop. As stated, the rest of the cast is alright.  There are some lines delivered in a weird way, almost like the actors are reading from paper, but they are young actors, and it’s never enough to derail the film. 

What I Didn’t Like: 

There is really only one thing I didn’t like, and that’s the comedy of the film. It was not as funny as the original. They used basically the same jokes from the original, so it’s not about the words themselves, and entirely about the delivery. Again, these are young actors, so I won’t be too critical, but outside of those delivered by Gerard Butler, I don’t think I laughed at any joke I was supposed to. 

Images Courtesty of IMDB