How to Train Your Dragon
Directed by Dean DeBlois
Written by Dean DeBlois, based on the book by Cressida Cowell
Starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker and Gerard Butler
Classification PG; 126 mins
Opens in theatres June 13
In a world of uncertainty, it’s no wonder that movie studios are going for tried and tested formulas. And so DreamWorks joins the bandwagon of animation studios making live-action versions of a beloved movie franchise, with the original co-writer and co-director of How to Train Your Dragon leading the reboot.
The story is more or less the same. Hiccup (Thames) is a Viking teen trying to live up to the standards set by his dad Stoick (Butler), who happens to be the leader of this clan clamouring against their enemies – dragons. Except Hiccup is a misfit, assigned to sharpen tools in a cave, while his peers go out and assist in dragon fighting. Until he manages to capture a Night Fury, a type of dragon the Vikings have only heard about.
An unlikely bond forms between Hiccup and the Night Fury, whom he names Toothless, and sets Hiccup on an adventure to reclaim his own identity and the Vikings’ relationship with dragons.
Mason Thames in a scene from the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon.The Canadian Press
The live-action version remains faithful to the animated original. In fact, two iconic scenes of Hiccup and Toothless first connecting and the test-flight are – shot-for-shot – the same. The live-action reprise tries to add some heft to the characters, especially Astrid (Parker), Hiccup’s rival for the Dragon Slayer title.
Shot in Ireland, the movie looks sumptuous in several scenes. Yet, there was a magic to the original movie that’s missing. The nasally sarcasm of Jay Baruchel playing the outsider Hiccup gave a sense of tenderness to a character who is often scared out of his wits; Thames, meanwhile, goes for a more moody vibe. Similarly, Parker plays Astrid as frequently irritable, although for good reason, which renders her turnaround a tad too convenient.
The dragons are fine by today’s CGI standards. Toothless glistens, thankfully. Young audiences will be delighted. My own teen and his friend thought the live-action version was pretty cool, and the dragons were cool; their one-worded appreciation making the outing worth their while. For the older folks, there’s the added subtext of a post-war commentary, and the whole us-versus-them narrative to unpack, that’s ever more relevant today.
