How To Train Your Dragon

Abyss-san writes:


Dragons.

It was the first word which attracted me to this particular movie; it is a take on a series of children's books by British author Cressida Crowell, done by Dreamworks under directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (who also directed Disney's Lilo and Stitch). The film stars the voice talents of Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, Gerard Butler as Stoik, and America Ferrera as Astrid.

As a lover of dragons, I could not help but to be attracted by the title, and the glimpses of the panther-like Toothless soaring through the skies on the movie trailers. I got my stuff together and enjoyed an evening at the theatre; How To Train Your Dragon proved itself to be a sturdy, loveable movie which deserves to at least be watched once.

The movie opens up with an overview of a fictional Viking village, with Hiccup providing a bit of info. What first caught me was his subtle, sarcastic tone--being rather sardonic myself, I instantly felt a connection to this character--and thus, I was drawn in instantly. The plot itself is timeless, weaving a story of forbidden friendship, the danger of stereotypes, and how love can close even the deepest of rifts.

Hiccup is a character which many can relate to: he is the "black sheep" of his village, so to speak, inept at fighting and slaying dragons and always seeming to be in everyone's way. However, what he lacks in brawn, he makes up for in ingenuity and keen observation. I will not harp on the technology discrepancies in the film--it's purely for enjoyment, not historical accuracy. Anyways, Hiccup's knack for invention and determination to prove himself leads him to downing a dragon with his Bola-Ballista, a Night Fury (in the film adaptation, a Night Fury is the rarest and most intelligent breed of dragon) no less. He tracks it down the next day, finding where the avian reptile landed with an intent to cut its heart out; but, as he is trying to gather the courage to perform the act, Hiccup sees the fear in the dragon's eyes and releases the captive.

As the film goes on, it is later revealed that Hiccup injured the Night Fury, later christened Toothless because of his retractable teeth. A flap on the dragon's tail was torn completely off, leaving the creature stranded in a hollow and unable to fly correctly. Hiccup manages to bond with Toothless and earn his trust, learning amazing and previously unknown things about dragons--which helps him as he undergoes Dragon Training. The Viking boy fashions him a prosthetic tail flap, and eventually an entire saddle rig for controlling it so that Toothless can fly with his help. However, the joy Hiccup finds in this remarkable friendship is soon turn to distraught as it becomes difficult to hide Toothless from his dragon-slaying father, Stoik, as well as many other troubles brought along the way.


Some could say the plot was predictable because of the ageless themes prevalent in its story, but I found myself too into the interactions between characters and the relationships developed between them to sit there and go, "Oh, so-and-so is gonna do this, and that is going to happen." Part of DreamWorks' magic is that their movies possess humor that appeals to even an older crowd. The Vikings and their dragons are no different.

Which leads me to the next point. DreamWorks is well-known for its animations, and with How To Train Your Dragon, they lived up to their reputation. The 3D animation was flawless and breath-taking, down to the last miniscule movement of eyebrows and facial muscles, and every last scale on the dragons. Understandably, the movie was limited in how many species of dragons it could entail, but the several species they did include were each distinct and each had their own personality and attributes.


The only real issue I had was the technology in the movie, though, as I said before, I am not going to harp on historical accuracy when the real value of the film is in its entertainment.

I rate this film a 9/10, and suggest that moviegoers give it a try; however, if you are one of those people who are SO down-to-earth and judge a movie on how "realistic" it is, don't go see it. I recommend How To Train Your Dragon to the people like me who still have their childlike sense of wonder and are not afraid to admit it, for this wonderful film will sweep your imagination off on the wings of what every fantasy dreams of: Dragons.