How to Train Your Dragon
As many of you know, I am a parent. And as a parent, one of my favorite things to do is take my son to the movies. I for one, love going out to see a show; it’s a communal experience for me. The smell of the popcorn, the energy of the audience, everything about the experience is something I deeply enjoy. Taking Tiny to see shows like The Iron Giant, Cars, and Shrek was especially enjoyable because those movies reminded me that it was ok to be a kid again, and that story telling in the modern age can be better than what I grew up with. (Not always, but it can be).
The cool and yet sad thing about having kids is they grow up. Tiny is fourteen now and far more interested in seeing adult shows with his Dad as they make him feel more like a grown up. So when I asked him if he wanted to see How to Train Your Dragon, I found a gentle reluctance as if to say seeing animated movies wasn’t cool anymore. When faced with the prospect of seeing this movie or Date Night, I made the executive decision and dragged his teenage butt to the theater for perhaps the last animated movie we might see for awhile. Little did I know that our journey to the theater would be a lesson for him, and a reminder for me, that it’s ok for adults to see animated movies. And that some of them can kick a whole lot of ass too.
The story takes place in the mythical Viking village of Berk. This island village has a huge pest problem…dragons. These pesky flying varmints would often attack at night, causing mayhem and stealing livestock. Led by the heroic Viking chieftain Stoic (Gerald Butler from Gamer) the villagers would do battle with these beasts with a sense of monstrous glee. It was a rite of passage to kill a dragon and become a true Viking warrior. Stoic has one problem however, his son Hiccup (Jay Baruchel from She’s Out of My League) is not skilled in the ways of dragon slaying and is somewhat of an embarrassment to him in the village.
One night during a particularity nasty raid, Hiccup manages to shoot down one of the most elusive of all dragons, the Night Fury. After failing to convince anyone in the village that he has accomplished this feat, Hiccup searches for his spoils deep in the forest. There he finds a wounded dragon and instead of killing it, he nurses it back to health and even learns to fly the beast he now calls Toothless. While learning about his new friend, his father enrolls him in dragon combat training while he and the rest of the warriors search for the elusive dragon nest. Here hiccup puts what he has learned about dragons to the test, and impressing the girl of his dreams, a warrior named Astrid (America Ferra aka Ugly Betty) Things go great for Hiccup, but all the while he lives in fear that he may one day have to slay one of the creatures has grown to admire.
Dreamworks has been hit or miss lately in their films. Films like Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens were both clever and touching. While countless sequels and unimaginative titles such as Madagascar can still make the studio money without good story or memorable characters. How to Train Your Dragon is happily one of the former, a wonderfully told story that is a joy to watch for both adults and kids alike.
The movie is presented in 3D, and while some may be turned off by a market flooded by 3D movies, it is the best way to watch this flick. There are a ton of flight scenes in the film, and the 3D brings in you as part of the experience. In some ways it’s better than the 3D from Avatar, but then it’s often easier to do 3D well in an animated film.
The story is funny and often times sweet and it definitely has a very cool message. In the last half of the film, Stoic leads his band of Viking warriors in an assault on the dragons nest. The sequence is not only incredibly fun to watch, but incredibly exciting as well. This is due in large part to cinematographer Roger Deakins (known for frequently collaborating with the Coen brothers) as a visual consultant to help them with lighting and overall look of the movie. The result is a live-action feel that really delivers.
Finally, Dr. Who fans will be glad to know that David Tennant makes a brief cameo as Spitelout, Stoic’s second in command in the film. It was nice to hear David in the film, as he did a lot of the voice work for the audio version of the original story.
So as we wait for the summer blockbuster of films (Starting with Kick Ass this weekend…can’t wait) you simply can’t go wrong in seeing this movie. If you have kids, bring them, they’ll have a great time no matter what age they are. Or if you’re looking for an excuse to remind you and your significant other what it feels like to be a kid again, don’t miss How to Train Your Dragon; it’s a can’t miss good time at the movies.
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Tags: 3d, Dragons, Dreamworks, how to train your dragon, Vikings
Personally I always preferred the Mario Super Show voice to Charles...
April 12th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
I took my kid to see this on opening weekend (not in 3D, because he’s two) and he loved it. So did I. Really, it’s the best animated film I’ve seen since Up, and in some ways I liked it better. (Mainly the action and humor). I was really shocked by how much I liked it because, like you said, Dreamworks animated movies are hit or miss…mostly miss.
Anyway, I’d highly recommend this movie.
April 13th, 2010 at 8:29 am
As someone who was absolutely obsessed with dragons when I was younger, this was a movie I really wanted to see. I saw it in 2D and was one of like 10 people in the theatre, which made it easier to enjoy. Basically it was great. It had some weak points, particularily the relationship between Astrid and Hiccup had no time to develop properly and apparently it just takes a single dragon ride to convince her. It was a little to much the magic carpet ride from Aladdin.
I can’t really discredit them for not making it a more well-rounded movie. It was aimed at kids and I’m 22. It was still a pretty awesome movie though and worth the $10
April 16th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I think my favorite part of the review (and it’s a really good one) is that Gerald Butler gets credited for Gamer and not any of his good movies like 300 or…. 300. That is like introducing Tom Hanks and saying “you might know him from Joe vs the Volcano.”