Star Cast: Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker
Director: Dean DeBlois
How To Train Your Dragon Movie Review Synopsis:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is the story of a friendship between a timid Viking and a mysterious dragon. The film is probably set in the early medieval times. The village of Berk, inhabited by Vikings and a few other tribes, is constantly attacked by dragons. These dragons cause destruction and take away livestock. Hiccup (Mason Thames), the son of the village chieftain Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), wants to fight the dragons just like other warriors in his village. However, he’s deemed too weak and is instead asked to intern with Gobber (Nick Frost), the village blacksmith. The experience helps Hiccup to understand and create different machines. He manufactures a bolas launcher and he takes it out when the dragons attack one night. He goes away from the village and realizes that he is able to spot a Night Fury. It’s a dragon no one has ever seen and is considered to be the most dangerous of all. Hiccup launches an attack and shoots down the Night Fury. He informs his father and villagers about it but they don’t take him seriously. The next day, he goes to the outskirts to prove himself right. He realizes that he is right and that he indeed attacked the creature. Instead of killing him, Hiccup sets the Night Fury free. The dragon also doesn’t kill him but escapes. The Night Fury is unable to fly as Hiccup’s bolas tear off one-half of the former’s tail fin. This is when Hiccup designs a prosthetic tail fin for Night Fury. Hiccup further names him Toothless. Toothless is now able to fly but only if Hiccup will ride on top of him. Meanwhile, Stoick and the rest of the warriors have ventured into the sea to find the nest of the dragons. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
How To Train Your Dragon Movie Story Review:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is adapted from a book of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The story is fantastic. Dean DeBlois’s screenplay moves at a fair pace and has enough funny, dramatic and emotional moments that keep the interest going. The dialogues add to the entertainment.
Dean DeBlois’s direction is simple. He was one of the directors and writers of the 2010 animated original and hence, it was a given that he would know his job well. Yet, adapting an animated film into a live action can also pose challenges. But Dean comes out with flying colours. The basic storyline is the same but he has tweaked certain plot points. The intentions of certain characters are now much more defined. The animated film has a scene where Hiccup brings the dragon to the village to tweak the prosthetic design. It is a scene which always seemed far-fetched. Thankfully, the makers have eliminated it completely. On the other hand, a scene where the Vikings get attacked by dragons when they set out to find the nest has been added and it makes for a nice watch.
On the flipside, since it’s the same story compared to the original, those who have seen the 2010 film repeatedly will not find anything new in terms of plot, except for minor tweaks. The makers have also shown that people of other ethnicities also reside with the Vikings in Berk. But it served no relevance to the story. It would have been great to see them fighting the dragons in their style. Shockingly, they were conveniently forgotten after their memorable introduction. Lastly, the series is not as popular in India as it is in the West, which can prove detrimental.
How To Train Your Dragon Movie Review Performances:
Mason Thames delivers a stupendous performance. He gets his act just right without going overboard. Gerard Butler slips into his character effortlessly and delivers a great act. Nico Parker (Astrid) has an arresting screen presence and performance-wise, she’s first-rate. Nick Frost lends able support. As for the actors who play teen warriors, Julian Dennison (Fishlegs) is the most memorable followed by Gabriel Howell (Snotlout), Bronwyn James (Ruffnut) and Harry Trevaldwyn (Tuffnut). Naomi Wirthner (Gothi) is decent and the character has much more screen time this time.
How To Train Your Dragon movie music and other technical aspects:
John Powell’s music is exemplary. Bill Pope’s cinematography is breathtaking. The locales of Ireland are well captured by the lensman. The VFX is top-class and the team especially did a great job with the dragon. It looks cute yet has the quality to terrify. The action is sans any gory. Lindsay Pugh’s costumes and Dominic Watkins’ production design are appropriate for the era depicted. Wyatt Smith’s editing is satisfactory, despite it being nearly 20 minutes longer than the 2010 animated flick.
How To Train Your Dragon Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is a faithful adaptation of the 2010 animated flick and is a well-made family entertainer. Since the popularity of the series is limited in India, it’ll need patronage from its target audience to score at the box office