HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Dean DeBlois
Stars: Gerard Butler, Mason Thames, Nick Frost, Nico Parker, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Peter Serafinowicz, Ruth Codd.
For a while now Disney has been raiding its back catalogue of animated classics and reimagining them as live action features. And now Dreamworks gets in on the lucrative action. This live action remake of the 2010 animated film remains quite faithful to the original, which in itself was adapted from the 2003 illustrated book written by Cressida Cowell. The film was a huge hit at the box office and spawned a couple of sequels, a television series and even a theme park ride. This new reimagining of the story follows the template of the original and explores the familiar themes of friendship, family, courage, fate, acceptance, and facing your fears.
Sixteen-year-old Hiccup (played by Mason Thames, who we recently saw in the thrillers The Black Phone and Monster Summer) lives in Berk, a Viking village on a rugged island which is beleaguered by fire breathing dragons on a regular basis. The dragons steal livestock and endanger the lives of the townsfolk. Most of the men in the village are self-styled dragon killers who risk their lives to fend off these destructive creatures. However, Hiccup’s father Stoik the Vast (Gerard Butler, from 300, etc), who is also the chief of the village, protects Hiccup and prevents him from fighting. Nonetheless, Hiccup is a spirited and creative youngster and, using a device he created himself, he hunts and traps a Night Fury, one of the most feared and elusive of all dragons.
Hiccup comes to learn that dragons aren’t necessarily bad, just misunderstood creatures – a bit like the misfit Hiccup himself. A bond develops between the two as Hiccup regards the dragon more as a friendly pet. He names him Toothless, and he trains him. He builds a saddle and a harness so he can ride Toothless. Toothless is beautifully rendered here, and his green eyes are very expressive and add to his personality.
Meanwhile, Stoik has enrolled Hiccup in a dragon slaying class run by Gobber (Nick Frost, from Shaun Of The Dead, etc), the town’s blacksmith. Hiccup uses what he learns about dragon behaviour from Toothless to prevail in the dragon slaying classes, much to the surprise of Astrid (Nico Parker, from Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, etc), the feisty female warrior who everybody expects to dominate the class. Hiccup has a crush on Astrid, but she doesn’t seem interested.
Eventually he manages to convince the rest of the villagers that they should work with the dragons to defeat the Red Dragon, monstrous giant dragon that lives inside a volcano on a remote island and orders the smaller dragons to feed it to stay alive. During the final climactic showdown, Hiccup and Astrid work with the other teens in Berk, training them to fly other dragons and race in to prevent a catastrophe.
The climactic showdown features some action that may prove a bit intense for younger audiences.
Oscar nominated director Dean DeBlois, who also directed the original animated film in 2010 and its two sequels, makes his live action directorial debut here. While this is virtually a shot by shot remake, he has embellished some of the climactic action scenes as well as added more flying scenes here. And some of them are truly spectacular. The film features some great visual effects for the flying sequences, which makes for a more immersive visual experience. DeBlois has also beefed up the sequences in which Hiccup and the village teens learn how to fight dragons. And there are plenty of dragons!
There are some great CGI that brings the various dragons to life. Bill Pope’s widescreen cinematography is superb, and his camera capture the rugged beauty of the settings. The film deserves to be seen on the big screen. I was lucky enough to see it on the IMAX screen. Another link to the original film comes from Butler’s presence – he voiced the character of Stoik in the animated original and its two sequels, and he reprises the role for this live action remake. Although perfectly cast he is barely recogniseable though as he is buried beneath a bushy beard and heavy Viking clothing. Frost provides plenty of humour as Gobber, the village blacksmith who also teaches Berk’s youngsters in the finer arts of fighting dragons. Parker has a solid presence as the feisty no-nonsense Astrid. And Julian Dennison (from Hunt For The Wilderpeople, etc) gives us yet another variation of his familiar character trope as Fishlegs Ingerman, Hiccup’s best friend.
This live action remake of How To Train Your Dragon may be largely unnecessary, but nonetheless it is perfect family fare and ideal for the school holiday season.
★★★
