Honestly, when the animated “How to Train Your Dragon” film graced screens in 2010, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Well, that and I wanted a dragon to call my own – even in my early 20s all I could imagine was how much money I’d save on gas and the traffic issues I could avoid.
Plus, I was quite sure that a fire-breathing dragon would also save on heating costs in the winter.
Once I saw they translated the film to a live action version that wish came back full force!
I caught ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ on the big screen last weekend and fully endorse it for fans of the original and those wanting a little family-friendly fare at the box office outside of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” fiasco.
Dragon is a fantasy adventure film that is a live-action remake of the 2010 animated film, itself loosely based on the 2003 novel by Cressida Cowell.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film was co-executive produced, written, and directed by Dean DeBlois.
It stars Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Peter Serafinowicz, and Nick Frost, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick the Vast, whom he voiced in the animated films.
The movie is 125 minutes long and rated PG for sequences of intense action, and peril.
Dragons frequently attack the Viking village of Berk, stealing livestock and endangering villagers.
Sixteen-year-old Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Thames) is the son of chieftain Stoick the Vast (Butler) and apprenticed to the local blacksmith Gobber (Frost) who attempts to create mechanical devices to overcome his physical weaknesses.
During a dragon raid, Hiccup shoots down a rare dragon called a Night Fury with a bolas launcher, but is disbelieved.
Vowing to prove himself, Hiccup searches for the dragon to kill it, but upon seeing the dragon helpless and wounded, he compassionately releases it.
To Hiccup’s surprise, the angered dragon spares his life.
Meanwhile, Stoick rallies his fleet to destroy the dragons’ nest somewhere on an island obscured by mist.
Before leaving, Stoick heeds Gobber’s advice and enrolls Hiccup in a dragon-fighting class with other local teens: Fishlegs (Dennison), Snotlout (Howell), twins Ruffnut (James) and Tuffnut (Trevaldwyn), and Hiccup’s crush, Astrid (Parker).
Hiccup is mocked by his peers and struggles in class.
Returning to the forest, he finds the Night Fury trapped in a cove, unable to fly because Hiccup’s bolas severed half of its tail fin.
Hiccup befriends the dragon, naming him “Toothless” for his retractable teeth; he builds a harness, saddle, and prosthetic fin, allowing Toothless to fly with Hiccup riding on his back to guide him.
Hiccup also learns about dragon behavior from Toothless, which allows him to subdue the captive training dragons, ultimately impressing the villagers and arousing Astrid’s suspicions.
Meanwhile, Stoick’s fleet is damaged while searching for the nest and returns to Berk defeated in its quest.
Upon learning he must kill a dragon for his final exam, Hiccup attempts to flee with Toothless, but Astrid discovers them.
Overall, this version of the flick follows its animated predecessor, but it’s still worth the experience in my book.
I’m also excited to hear that there are plans to continue the rest of the animated trilogy in live-action format, which means I’m still going to pine for a dragon all my own.
