How to Train Your Dragon starts
us of in familiar territory: accident-prone misfit Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is a
disappointment to his huge, manly father Stoick (Gerard Butler) and Viking
community under regular attack from
apparently vicious, fire-breathing dragons. Hiccup resolves to find new ways to
fight dragons, and after a machine of his own invention shoots down one of the Night
Furies, Toothless, sets off to find his prize. But when Hiccup tracks it down
and befriends it, he comes to question his priorities. The two form a symbiotic
relationship that becomes the heart and soul of the film.
What we have here is an exhilarating
epic that mixes comedic and touching moments with some of the best action
sequences ever created with CGI animation. The sweeping widescreen aesthetic is
elevated by a dramatic score. While the Vikings'
blood lust in "How to Train Your Dragon" is comedic in tone, there is
an underlying theme of warmongering. Hiccup's dad is consumed with smoking out
the dragons' nest, with orders to "kill on sight."
The 3-D used in the film is stunning.
Hiccup and Toothless often soar through the skies, whipping around rock faces
and skimming the ocean's surface. In 3-D, your stomach feels as if it might
drop out, a sensation that "Avatar" couldn't quite muster. The designs
of the dragons is also spectacular and is probably what young viewers will find
most amazing. While some are two-headed, razor-toothed or even short and plump,
Toothless is sleek like an oversized gecko but stalks his prey like a cat.
How to Train Your Dragon may
actually be DreamWorks Animation's best movie yet—a fun, thrilling Viking
voyage that, in the end, is a simple yet salient story about a boy and his dragon.
FilmGodz Rating: 9/10
FilmGodz Rating: 9/10
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