Should I See It?: How To Train Your Dragon Review

How To Train Your Dragon Review

Sunday, April 11, 2010 , Posted by Should I See It at 8:27 PM

Film: How to Train Your Dragon

Director: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders.

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Plot: A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

How To Train Your Dragon is the first film that I have seen in a long time that I actually really enjoyed. From start to finish I was enchanted, captivated by the charm and the general open-heartedness of the film.

The hero, Hiccup [a very strong and manly name, meant to instil fear at the thought of it] (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is suitably endearing. In many ways Hiccup reminded me of Zac Efron, and I’m not just talking about the shaggy hair that always seems to sit perfectly, but some of Baruchel’s inflections, but some of the mannerisms in the animation of the character recall those of Zefron.

The Dragon, Toothless, is adorable. He’s like a puppy, but way cooler. I have decided that I only want a pet if I can have Toothless the Dragon. The developing friendship between Hiccup and Toothless gives the film its warmth.

The designs of the dragons are unique and vivid. Of course these dragons are the kind that could ONLY exist in an animated film, but that is half (well, maybe three-quarters) of their charm!

As in any film, Hiccup also gets a kick-ass love interest, Astrid. Though I will say that America Fererra, who voiced the role, is perhaps a little too one-note in her interpretation.

I also applaud the genius who decided to cast Craig Ferguson as Gobber, the Viking in charge of training the young’uns in killing dragons. Ferguson is a great addition to the cast. It was also nice to hear Gerard Butler, as Hiccup’s father Stoic (what did I tell you about the Viking names?), with his native Scottish accent.

One thing that I didn’t understand about this movie: why did the adults have Scottish accents and the adolescents have American accents? Actually I do know why but I can’t be bothered writing a massive rant on the Americanisation of EVERYTHING!

The scene where Hiccup takes Astrid for a ride on Toothless is magical. Imagine a combination of Harry Potter and the Hippogriff, the ‘I’m the king of the world’ moment from Titanic and ‘A Whole New Wold’ from Aladdin (minus the singing) and you basically have that scene.

The designs of the dragons are wonderful, unique and vivid. Of course these dragons are the kind that could ONLY exist in an animated film, but that is half (well, maybe three-quarters) of their charm!

The score by John Powell is wonderful, never overpowering, but just enough to compliment the film (as any good score should do).

The pacing is tight, there is never a dull moment, and the script is funny. It never becomes preachy or overly sentimental, as so many films of this genre, or at least aimed at this audience, tend to do.

Don’t be put off by the fact that this is a ‘kid’s movie’. Even if you don’t have kids to take to see it, it’s definitely worth seeing. Watching How to Train Your Dragon is a very enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half, and it will leave you feeling all sunny inside.

Should I See It?

Yes! You should DEFINITELY SEE IT!

How to Train Your Dragon Official Site here.

Comments (5)

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Isa-sama · 746 weeks ago

I totally agree with your review. I went to see it with no great expectations (another 3D animated movie for kids I thought) but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The story is well written and well paced, the characters not as stereotypical as I had imagined them to be, and the quality of the animation is really good.
As for the voices, I saw it in french and the cast was great in my opinion ( Hiccup having a little "peasant" accent which accent is uncoolness). Having non talking dragons is a good thing too, their movements are clearly enough to express their feelings.

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Melissa · 562 weeks ago

I've been a fan of since the original HTTYD and HTTYD2 was as amazing as the first.
Totally agree that the story was well written and compared to most sequels it didn't SUCK! I think Dreamworks has been investing a lot of resource behind the Dragon brand with recent How to Train Your Dragon Game (www.schoolofdragons.com) as well as the movie.

1 reply · active 562 weeks ago

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Melissa · 562 weeks ago

Sorry for the broken link...don't know why but its http://www.schoolofdragons.com