Director: Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois
Starring (voices of): Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler & America Ferrera
A fun and energetic adventure that features great animation, fun characters and plenty of thrilling action sequences to entertain audiences young and old.
Originally based on the novel by Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon ended up going through re-writes mid production with the current version now only loosely based on the source material yet still remaining faithful to the central concept. The finished film is one that is energetic, fun and features impressive effects and bears some similarities to the recently released Clash of the Titans remake yet easily outdoes that film overall. How to Train Your Dragon is very enjoyable.
Hiccup (Baruchel) is a Viking and the son of Stoick the Vast (Butler), the mighty leader of the village. Unlike his father however, Hiccup is not a mighty warrior and is instead spindly, weak and prone to making inventions than developing his physical prowess yet he is still determined to impress his father and fellow villagers by engaging in the common activity of defending the town and killing the dragons that frequently prey upon their livestock and attack the townsfolk. When a device brings down a legendary, and never seen, Night Fury, Hiccup discovers the injured dragon is not what he expected and that it and other dragons only attack out of defence. Building a friendship with the dragon and creating another device that enables the dragon, named Toothless, to fly again with Hiccup’s assistance, Hiccup becomes the talk of the town when he uses inside information gleaned from Toothless to fell dragons harmlessly but the townsfolk and his father’s blood thirst for the dragon they view as threats threaten to doom Toothless and the other dragons if Hiccup can’t find a solution to save them all.
Fast paced and with plenty of humour, How to Train Your Dragon is a very enjoyable affair. Less sweet and more action driven than the original source novel, the film still features much to appeal to younger audiences such as colourful characters, creatures and the fun of imagining what it would be like to fly on a dragon. There are plenty of elements too that would also appeal to adults such as the action sequences which are quite well planned and executed and the humour fairly sharp and quick witted. The story of man into hero, of living up to the standards of a father, of fighting mythical beasts and a finale with a creature of Kraken-like proportions raise much similarities with the recent Clash of the Titans remake but, where that film lacked humour, characterisation and was driven by the set pieces and effects, How to Train Your Dragon outdoes that film with a more fleshed out hero and an emphasis on character and humour with the action and the effects supporting the story rather than driving it. The film is, of course, a children’s film so certain developments and outcomes are easily predicted when a happy ending is expected and there is a little stumbling in the early scenes as the characters get established before the main plot can truly begin, but these are to be expected and generally don’t detract from the enjoyment.
Featuring a voice cast consisting of familiar teen/young actors popular today such as Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (both of Superbad fame) and America Ferrera (of TV’s Ugly Betty), the performances are led by Jar Baruchel in the role of Hiccup and Gerard Butler as his father Stoick. Baruchel is a fitting choice for Hiccup, imagining that the actor’s own thin frame and nervous demeanour influences his performance as Hiccup who develops courage in spite of his fears and nerves. It is a fun and likeable performance. Gerard Butler seems to revel in the role of Stoick, a man filled with strength and machismo. Butler too feels like ideal casting, the role of a Viking suitable to the actor’s persona and he interacts well with Baruchel, the two playing a rather awkward father and son dynamic well. Also, the role of Toothless the dragon, whilst not voiced and instead a purely digital creation is impressive. The producers have done a great job at making Toothless a living, breathing character with a wide range of expressions.
Plenty of fun, with good action, humour, effects and characters, How to Train Your Dragon is a very enjoyable film and certainly shows the makers of Clash of the Titans how to make an adventure feel epic without scrimping on character.
Rating: 4/5
