REVIEW #442 How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Synopsis

On an island inhabited by Vikings, killing dragons is a right of passage, but when Hiccup befriends a dragon and breaks centuries of tradition, his life changes forever.

My Review

How To Train Your Dragon should be the template for all future Live Action remakes, a film that can genuinely inspire a new generation of fans, whilst simultaneously retaining all of the heart and soul that made the original so special. The key to this was bringing back Dean DeBlois as the director, a man that knows these characters inside out and someone who wasn’t going to make drastic changes for the sake of it! Not only was this the first Live Action remake to bring back the Director of the original animation, but it is also the first to actually have a lower budget compared to the original too, and when you consider just how impressive the visuals are, you realise just how impressive that achievement is. They had the legend Roger Deakins on board as a visual consultant too, when you have such a talented team on board, it’ll always pay dividends and if I loved the visuals then I can’t imagine how a kid visiting the How To Train Your Dragon IP for the first time must feel.

The cast were great, an infectious energy that made it such a feel good movie, executing the comedy well but also delivering on the more emotional notes in the script too. I know there was a lot of outrage behind Astrid being race swapped, which I understood at the time, but let me provide some assurance, it actually tied into the story and origin of the Isle of Berk and it’s people, really nicely and Nico Parker really did Astrid justice. Now onto the dragons, Toothless looked amazing and he still had all of the sass and charm that made him such a lovable character. That being said, his first encounter with Hiccup really established him as a daunting force to be reckoned with, which I thought was great and something I can’t remember feeling when I watched the original for the first time. To conclude, I loved it, more so than the original and I find myself desperate for the sequel! It’s everything I’d want in a live action remake and whilst we can of course loathe the capitalistic intent behind them, I also love the fact they can make a new generation of kids fall in love with movies if they are done right, which I believe How To Train Your Dragon is.

My Rating: 9 out of 10

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