Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

Given the amount of money it earns them (most of the time), it’s surprising that it’s taken this long for another studio to mimic Disney’s affinity for unnecessarily remaking their classic animated films as live-action blockbusters, even those that aren’t that old yet. This Summer, Dreamworks and Universal have decided to give it a go by getting original director Dean DeBlois to redo his hit How to Train Your Dragon, a mere 15 years after the animated version debuted. Does he make a case for this version existing? It’s hard to say. Did I enjoy it? Very much.

If you’ve seen the first one, nothing here will surprise you as the story is almost completely identical, save for a few very minor changes. 16-year-old Hiccup (Mason Thames) lives in the Viking village of Berk, which is regularly attacked by a variety of dragons. He doesn’t really fit in with his fellow villagers however, lacking the brute strength and bravura they all possess, to the open disappointment of his father Chieftan Stoick (Gerard Butler, reprising the role). During attacks he is made to stay indoors with village blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost) and help repair and distribute arms, but he keeps trying to sneak out and test the contraptions he devises.

During one dragon raid, he makes his way to a cliff to try the latest version of his bolas launcher and manages to hit an elusive Night Fury dragon. No one believes him so, the next day, he ventures into the woods looking for the downed creature. When he finds it he is unable to kill it, sets it free, and over several days manages to befriend it, learning that the dragons aren’t really the vicious beasts he had been led to believe. As a result, he learns valuable information about dragon behavior which helps him to excel at school, which raises the suspicion of his chief rival and crush Astrid (Nico Parker) who tries to figure out what is causing the turnaround in him.

Assuming this movie is a hit, the main cast of up-and-coming young actors are about to be, deservedly, very famous. Each is perfectly chosen for their parts and truly bring the characters to life. Mason Thames particularly stands out as the lead, fully embodying the character and absolutely selling his bond with the still adorably puppy-like dragon he names Toothless. Anyone who has ever felt a similarly strong connection with a pet will find their connection easily relatable and revel in their moments of shared joy while also nervously gripping their seat whenever the pair is in peril.

More than a “boy and his dragon” story though, DeBlois’ screenplay (nearly identical to the original cowritten with William Davies and Chris Sanders which was very loosely based on the book by Cressida Cowell) is also about the ways that parents’ behavior can shape their children, for better or worse, and learning to accept our differences and be proud of ourselves for who we are. Throw in a little commentary on the futility of war, which seems increasingly timely, and you have a story that is as smart as it is thrilling.

And it is thrilling. The transition to live action actually serves the material well as do the tweaks to the story, lending it extra emotional heft and visual splendor. Cinematographer Bill Pope captures some truly striking images, even when they are shot-for-shot redo’s from the original and returning composer John Powell’s score repurposes themes from the 2010 film to stirring effect. Strictly speaking I still don’t know if this film feels necessary, but I can’t help but feel glad that it exists. It was already a great story but retold this way it takes flight in ways that not much else does and offers up pure movie magic of the highest order. ★★★★★