Epic Return: How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Soars with Heart, Fire, and Fantasy

A trustworthy live-action remake featuring majestic dragons and powerful performances by Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, and others ensures a delightful adventure.

Dragons are popular because of their mystical characteristics.  The idea of gigantic, fire-breathing creatures soaring through the skies with powerful wings is absolutely exhilarating.  Because of their physical similarities to dinosaurs, some people theorise that dragons may have once governed the earth.  The fact that they have been a mainstay of fantasy literature for so long should not be surprising.

The exploits of a young Viking boy named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and his obedient but disobedient dragon, Toothless, were first told to us in Cressida Cowell’s 2003 novel How to Train Your. In 2010, Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois brought the series to life as a charming animated film.  DeBlois wrote and directed both of the follow-ups in 2014 and 2019, and he is now back to write and direct the live-action version.

The story starts with Hiccup (played by Mason Thames) recounting life in his “tough” hamlet, Berk, which is afflicted by dragons rather than mice or mosquitoes. This is in keeping with the animated original, which was also a rough adaptation of the books.  The residents of Berk are presented to us, including Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), the village head, and Gobber the Belch (Nick Frost), the blacksmith Hiccup works with.

Berk’s people have long been at odds with them, who have stolen livestock and burnt down houses.  In Berk, children are taught to battle dragons, and as a rite of passage, the best student is supposed to slay one.  Although Hiccup aspires to be a true Viking, he is much more skilled at creating technology than engaging in combat.  Although no one believes his account, one such device defeats a rare dragon known as the Night Fury.

Stoick requests Gobber to train the newest group of his fighters before he embarks on a fleet expedition to locate the dragons’ nest.  Hiccup’s crush, Astrid (Nico Parker); the conceited Snotlout (Gabriel Howell); Hiccup’s best friend Fishlegs (Julian Dennison); and twin siblings Ruffnut (Bronwyn James) and Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn) are also in the class.  Hiccup quietly begins learning from the very dragon he brought down, whom he names Toothless, while the rest of the class are ecstatic to learn the technique of his taming.

Toothless, with his retractable teeth and bright green eyes, is a heart-stopper, and the CGI dragons are absolutely amazing.  Viewers are taken on an exciting, imaginative journey by the stunning flying sequences.  The ‘his’ feel like big, flaming puppies, especially the adorable Gronckle.

How to Train Your Dragon offers a compelling argument for acceptance and empathy with its stunning illustrations and Hiccup’s amusing story.  In this aesthetically stunning, emotionally impactful, and humorous film, Butler, who also provided Stoick’s voice in the animated movie, leads the cast.

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