Movie Review How To Train Your Dragon
Kirby Apodaca
Hiccup's actions prove that cooperation and teamwork can be better than competition and animosity. By looking past the superficial, Hiccup discovered that the dragons weren't the blind, ruthless killers his people thought they were, and that training a dragon had far more benefits than killing a dragon. Another important message is that the love between a parent and child is unconditional and not based on whether the child is following in the parent's footsteps. There's also the message that girls and women (the Vikings are surprisingly pro-girl-power) can be tough and fearless too, and that brains can be just as powerful as brawn.
Hiccup may not look as tough as other Vikings his age, but he's smart and courageous and caring. His eventual popularity and his sacrifice to save his fellow Vikings demonstrate that just because someone looks like a "wimp" doesn't mean much. Astrid is a positive role model for girls. Yes, she's beautiful, but it's not her looks that make her notable. She's tough, hard-working, fearless, and loyal. Characters also demonstrate integrity and perseverance.
Some of the dragons -- particularly in the opening and climactic sequences, along with the dragon training scenes -- are scary looking and cause a lot of destruction. The dragons have burned down homes, killed random characters and maimed a couple of central characters. The huge "queen dragon" is big and imposing and is just as likely to swallow a smaller dragon as she is to crush humans in her way.
Exclamations like "Thor almighty!" and "By Odin it was rough" that substitute the word God for the names of Norse gods. Some mild taunts and insults like "coward" and "useless" and one joke about a "breast hat" (a Viking hat formed from a breast plate). One use of "hell."
Parents need to know that How to Train Your Dragon is an excellent book-based adventure comedy about a clever young Viking that includes some fantasy violence and potentially frightening images of dragons which could scare some young movie-goers. The dragons attack the Viking village, causing mass destruction, and in a couple of cases, they cripple characters. There's some mild flirting and two brief kisses between teens, and one bittersweet discussion about a deceased mother (and her armored breast plate, which has been fashioned into two helmets). Younger or more sensitive kids may jump during the dragon-fighting scenes. On a positive note, with a strong female character and an honorable, brainy protagonist, kids will learn the value of cooperation, teamwork, and seeing beyond the surface of a situation. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
In HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, on the Viking island of Berk, everyone is bestowed scary monikers and is taught how to kill invading dragons except for a young teen named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who's the exception to the rule. He's a lanky young blacksmith's apprentice with little dragon-slaying potential -- a fact that chagrins his father, the clan chief Stoic the Vast (Gerard Butler). During a nighttime dragon attack, Hiccup manages to capture the most mysterious dragon of all -- the Night Fury -- but when faced with the creature, he can't kill it. Instead, Hiccup, who is accepted into dragon training with other new recruits -- arrogant Snotlout (Jonah Hill), bickering twins Ruffnut (T.J. Miller) and Tuffnut (Kristen Wiig), timid Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and the beautiful and brave Astrid (America Ferrera), gets to know his new pet dragon, who he names Toothless, and uses his knowledge to quietly calm all of the dragons the recruits must face. But when Hiccup's secret is revealed, will the Vikings (particularly his father) thank him for discovering the dragons aren't all cruel killers or brand him a dragon-loving traitor?
Based on author Cressida Cowell's book, the story is surprisingly touching. It's not just about a nerdy kid hoping to show-up his peers and win the attentions of a pretty girl in the process. It's about the pressure of living up to your father's expectations, self identity, war and peace, growing up, and other seemingly heavy themes that are seamlessly woven into a funny, gripping adventure. Ferrera, who at first seems like an odd choice to voice a platinum blond Astrid, is pitch-perfect, with her authoritative voice making Astrid sound appropriately confident and mature. As in Baruchel's live-action comedy, Astrid seems out of Hiccup's league, but she's open-minded enough to realize he's special -- just like this movie.
How to Train Your Dragon is actually worth the momentary headache that 3-D glasses can cause. It's spectacular, particularly when coupled with fire-breathing dragons flying around a colorful fictional island. The detailed animation on the Vikings (who are inexplicably depicted as more Scottish than Scandinavian, perhaps because Butler and Craig Ferguson, who's the dragon-training teacher, have such great accents) and the dragons (so many different kinds, all with their own quirks and strengths) is on par with Pixar -- the standard-bearer of animation.
Families can talk about what makes Hiccup a misfit in How to Train Your Dragon. How does having Stoic the Vast for a father make him feel about himself? How is the relationship between Hiccup and his dad portrayed? What changes in their relationship throughout the movie?
Astrid looks like a "blond bombshell" type, but she's not the typical pretty blond girl. In what ways does her character rise above stereotypes of unattainable beauty? Is she a good role model for girls?
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a dragon. Can Hiccup do it without being torn limb from limb?
Writing Style: The writing style was so fun (how many times am I going to use this adjective to describe this book??). The dialogue really made the characters come to life, the illustrations made the setting come alive, and overall the writing was just really humorous and engaging.
I really had no expectations going in to see Dreamworks Animation's latest CGI animated film, How to Train Your Dragon. Frankly, based on the trailers I'd seen I thought it was going to be fairly hokey and formulaic. Imagine my surprise when I found it to be a funny, heartfelt and action-packed movie for kids. Just so you know, this review is based on a viewing of the 2D version of the film as I didn't get a chance to catch a 3D screening prior to the film's opening.
How to Train Your Dragon tells the story of "Hiccup" (voiced by young Jay Baruchel, but who I would have sworn was Christian Slater), a skinny, quirky pre-teen growing up in a Viking village. He's clumsy, intellectual and prone to inventing things using the crude technology available at the time. The village is a harsh place to live and the Vikings are portrayed as big, beefy, hearty men and women who have to fight not only the elements but invasions of attacking dragons, which they've fought for generations.
The Vikings in the village define their lives through their battles against the dragons, and Hiccup's father (Stoick, voice by Gerard Butler) is the biggest and bravest of them all - and the leader of the village. He thinks Hiccup is not cut out for dragon-battle despite Hiccup's desire for just that very thing (motivated in great part because he believes it'll get him a girlfriend). Hiccup is mesmerized by Astrid (America Ferrera), a blonde warrior in training who can hold her own against the boys her own age with whom she is training.
There are many, many types and varieties of dragons here, but the most elusive one - that not only has anyone ever seen, much less killed, is the mysterious and super-fast Night Fury. Hiccup uses one of his gadgets to bring down the Night Fury far from the village. Of course no one believes him, and he goes out in search of the deadly dragon. I won't say much more than of course Hiccup finds it (he names it "Toothless" for reasons that are apparent) and the film is basically about how they come to be friends.
From Toothless Hiccup learns how to train dragons and appears to subdue them in dragon battle training. Astrid is none too happy about it because she wants to be the #1 pupil - eventually of course she decides to find out how exactly Hiccup is learning all these things and stumbles across his secret.
I was concerned that the audience would be bludgeoned with some sort of "message" in this film, but instead I found the story to be uplifting and the message more subtle than that of Avatar - a film that this reminded me of with the scenes involving dragon flight and a battle towards the end. Yes, for the most part you'll know where this story is headed, but they actually managed to turn the story in a direction I didn't expect at all - something I can't say about the aforementioned other film.
I found the CGI animation to be very detailed, although a little more expressiveness in the characters' faces might have been nice. I particularly enjoyed Gerard Butler's performance - loved hearing him speak any time his character was on screen. Although you'll know where things are headed between Hiccup and Toothless and between him and Astrid, I felt the movie took its time getting there and didn't make it too easy for the inevitable transitions to take place. Toothless was a joy to watch - they made him a cross between the best aspects of a dog and a cat as far as personality and he was completely lovable.
Overall I found How to Train Your Dragon to be great fun with a big heart - it drew me (and my daughter) in and we enjoyed it from beginning to end. Feel free to bring kids of all ages to this one, nothing in it is inappropriate or so scary that it would give the little ones nightmares. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing it again, but in 3D next time.
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