The Way of the Dragon
Universal Pictures
MOVIE REVIEW
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
Since Disney is resolved to mine and recycle all its animated I.P. into live action, DreamWorks is also joining in on the act – or at least that’s the logical conclusion that redditors on the r/DreamWorks sub are already drawing. The studio is so gung ho about the odds for the “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action remake that a sequel is already in the pipeline for 2027.
For the first 10 or 20 minutes, the new “How to Train Your Dragon” is a bit of a hot mess. You have Gerard Butler reprising Viking chief Stoick the Vast, whom he has voiced all through the animated film series, speaking with a heavy Scottish brogue. For some unknown reason, his son, Hiccup (Mason Thames, “The Black Phone”), who closely resembles Shaggy from “Scooby-Doo,” talks with an American accent. Upon closer inspection, all adults sound like they’re from the Commonwealth and all youngsters . . . don’t. Astrid (Nico Parker, “Dumbo”), supposedly the warrior princess type, yaks like some Valley girl. It’s as if the filmmakers have set their sights strictly on non-English-speaking territories and entirely written off the domestic market.
Anyhoo. Hiccup has been dismissed and ostracized by peers as a ne’er-do-well because he’s perceived as weak, while other young ’uns seem to have better prospects of becoming dragon-slaying Vikings. Because of this perception, Hiccup goes out of his way to prove himself, though without much success.
He apprehends a dragon with retractable teeth – hence naming it Toothless – who just happens to be the cutest one out there. Because he doesn’t have the heart to kill Toothless, Hiccup winds up releasing it. Noticing that Toothless can no longer fly due to an injury, Hiccup – who actually caused the injury – goes to the trouble of designing a prosthetic tail and outfits the dragon with it.
Because of insights gained from interacting with Toothless, Hiccup defies expectations and excels, albeit unconventionally, in dragon training provided by double amputee Gobber (Nick Frost), beating odds-on favorite Astrid. But slaying dragons is the last thing Hiccup has in mind. He must protect Toothless from his own Viking folk, who are dead set on finding the dragons’ nest.
Though this is a kids’ movie, some of the off-color jokes, such as Hiccup’s new Viking hat being made from his late mother’s breast plate, clearly cross a line. There are worse ones that we don’t care to repeat here.
Overlooking the mismatching accents and dialects, the art direction and production designs seem thoughtful. But the most impressive parts of the film have to be the action sequences of Toothless performing various air-show aerobatics. How Hiccup can be accidentally dropped from his flying dragon’s back so many times without breaking a bone is totally beyond us. Special effects and puppetry help make these scenes a truly immersive experience. The spectacles alone are worth the ticket. And after the unconvincing rough start, the young cast, led by Mr. Thames and Ms. Parker, find solid footing by the climax. To top everything off, we get to see what cinematographer Bill Pope can do with the Imax format. It’s a win alright.
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