Running Time: 125 minutes
This feature from Universal Pictures opens exclusively at theaters on June 13th.
If you’ve been reading this column with any regularity, you’ll be aware that this reviewer is not overly fond of the trend involving animated features being remade into live-action pictures. Last month, there was an example from Disney, and this week sees the arrival of yet another title. How to Train Your Dragon is a new take on the 2010 hit from Dreamworks Animation. While this newest redo may not be entirely necessary, it is exceptionally well-produced and as solid of a live-action retelling as one could possibly hope for.
The picture is set on an island called Berk, where the human population is at war with dragons. The leader, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler) prides himself and his people on being fierce warriors ready to wipe out their sworn enemies. But Stoick is embarrassed of his 15-year-old son, Hiccup (Mason Thames), who shows no fighting ability. Even when Hiccup actually manages to take down a beast in battle, no one believes him. The teen searches out and finds the wounded dragon, but can’t bring himself to finish it off. Instead, he names it Toothless, helps it recover, and forms a tight bond with it. In the process, Hiccup learns about dragons and becomes the best student in his dragon-fighting class, using unusual techniques to sedate the creatures (and baffling classmates in the process). Hiccup learns that the dragons aren’t the real threat to his people, but can he convince his dad and others before it’s too late?
The story plays fairly close to the original animated film. Some of the dialogue and exchanges between characters has been expanded and slightly altered to mix things up (and add a few more humorous comments and observations), but otherwise it is essentially the same movie. One imagines that, given the effectiveness and popularity of the original film, the studio didn’t want to throw many curveballs into the mix. In fact, they even hired Dean DeBlois to write and direct, who penned and helmed the original animated How to Train Your Dragon films, as well as the original Lilo & Stitch.
It certainly appears to have been the right call. The filmmaker already knows the characters and story in exceptional detail, and all of the performers are well-cast and make great impressions in their roles. It’s fun to see Gerard Butler embody the live-action Stoick (he voiced the character in the animated film). Thames is also a charismatic lead, who doesn’t come across as a physical threat, but also doesn’t play the role in a broadly nerdy fashion. He’s just a little out of his element compared to his brawnier cohorts. There are some amusingly awkward interactions between Hiccup and his dad, especially when he starts to win competitions and the guardian wants to bond over his unexpected battlefield accomplishments.
Nick Frost also makes a positive impression as Gobber the Belch, a teacher with a better handle on appreciating Hiccup’s qualities. The other students, including love interest Astrid Hofferson (Nico Parker), class rival Snotlout Jorgenson (Gabriel Howard), and best pal Fishlegs (Julian Dennison) are all convincing and effectively sell the teen banter.
The visuals also make an impact, with the sets and locations standing out. As for the dragons, while Toothless does look like a CGI-creation with cat-like features, the lead still manages to form a convincing connection with it. When Hiccup and the dragon are flying through the air, the images are dynamic. One thing this film does as well, if not better than the original, is make one feel like they are soaring through the air and plummeting towards the sea at breakneck speed. The climax, featuring a confrontation with an enormous monster living inside a volcano, is truly spectacular to behold.
There is a mid-flight conversation between various characters at one point that isn’t as convincing with real people involved (one wonders how they can hear each other with everything going on around them), but by this point in the picture one is already invested in the story. If that’s the worst criticism one can come up with, it means this live-action adaptation is actually far more effective than anticipated.
The filmmaker has kept the original’s beloved themes, characters, and conversations as faithful to the original as possible, while adding some visual panache to the more realistic environments and creating a truly large-scale and spectacular finale. Whether you have seen the animated version or are new to the franchise, How to Train Your Dragon delivers summer movie thrills and chuckles that will entertain families.