I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve gone well over a decade spreading my campaign of hatred and dispassion over Disney live-action remakes of beloved animated masterpieces. With the exception of one film (Cinderella), I urged people to look between the CG lines of lazy retreads or original takes that ultimately were created for the bottom dollar.
So it kills me to say that I basically loved the “flesh and blood” remake of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon. I don’t know what to do with this information, other than just voicing it to a safe and small audience of readers. Somebody please help me find myself again.
This version is a near shot-for-shot remake of the cartoon, though it’s 27 minutes longer. I should be so mad. My 2021 self would normally be screaming, “Why did they add so much fluff to a tight experience?! Kids don’t like long movies! What are they thinking?!” Clearly I’ve been corrupted or bamboozled by my current self. Dementia is quite the wake up call.
If you haven’t seen the original film, the story follows Hiccup, a clumsy teen who is the son of a brave viking chief named Stoick. He’s long been a disappointment to his dad and community. The people of Berk have had a long-standing rivalry with deadly dragons and have based their civilization around fighting them. Strange events lead Hiccup to find a wounded dragon, Toothless, with whom he learns what friendship means and how to train a dragon.
Mason Thames steps into the shoes of Hiccup and truly carries the movie. While he doesn’t necessarily have the perfect awkwardness of Jay Baruchel’s voice, he is the next best thing. He portrays Hiccup as a character you want to succeed and prove everyone wrong. Gerard Butler plays the role he made famous and doesn’t skip a beat. Nick Frost plays Gobber (originally voiced by Craig Ferguson). He looks the part and better yet, he humanizes the part, often bringing a lot of heart to the movie. Nico Parker’s Astrid is the character who suffers the most with the adaptation. She plays it as apathetic Zendaya-lite. She gets plenty of screen time, but often sucks the energy out of the movie.
The real star of the movie is Toothless. He’s the Night Fury that is the deadliest of all dragons, but deep down he has all the mannerisms of a floppy dog and amiable cat. I’m sure the majority of the production’s focus was making sure they got the animation and look of Toothless right, and they nailed it. Dragons in pop culture should make you want them to exist and I’ve never wanted to have an animated creature to be real more than Toothless. I’m sure we’d be best friends, go camping, play some catch, get some manicures… (Oh, you’re still here? Back to the review)
So, the acting is good. The CG is great. The real star here is the score by John Powell. Yes, it’s the same original score, but a bit extended and has a few extra tracks. However, Powell’s themes punctuate the bigger scenes and adds so much soul. Seeing Toothless and Hiccup take to the clouds while Test Drive plays was cinematic magic.
I’ve gushed over the remake of How to Train Your Dragon and it deserves the praise. If someone never cared to watch the animated classics, this may be a good place to start. With all that said, I may never need to watch it again. I’m glad it exists. It’s the best live-action remake ever made. Yet, every time I feel the need to watch this story, I will always go back to the vibrant 2010 masterpiece. B+
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