As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.
Based on Cressida Cowell’s book series of the same name, “How to Train Your Dragon” has become a widely known, recognizable franchise, spawning an animated film trilogy and multiple animated series. Taking a page out of Disney’s playbook of turning beloved animated classics into live-action films, DreamWorks/Universal has decided to give fans a live-action adaptation of the series.
Note: I have not read the books (nor have I seen any of the animated series). Therefore, I can’t comment on how well this live-action remake fares in comparison to the books or if it makes any connections with the series.
The original animated film, which was co-directed by this live-action adaptation’s director, Dean DeBlois, serves as the template for this new take. Initially released in 2010, the fifteen-year gap between versions hardly seems long enough to warrant a remake. Yet, here we are.
If you’ve seen the animated film, you know the story. Young Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames) is a misfit in his village on the isle of Berk. While everyone else seems to be a fierce dragon slayer (or up-and-coming dragon slayer), Hiccup tends to make a mess of everything. His father, Stoick (Gerard Butler reprising his role), who is also the village leader, is disappointed in him, and Hiccup’s crush, Astrid (Nico Parker), wants nothing to do with him.
One night, as dragons attack their village, Hiccup tries out a new invention. To his surprise, he hits his target, sending it crashing into the forest. Of course, no one sees this happen. Later, after the dragons have stopped their attack, he goes into the forest and finds a wounded dragon, a Night Fury, which he names Toothless. The bond that forms between them proves to be the catalyst that might help both the Vikings and the dragons.
As a whole, I found this to be a rather pointless rehash of the animated movie. It takes the original film and recreates it with live actors, turning that breezy 98-minute feature into this two-hour CGI fest. Honestly, this film might as well have been animated too despite itself.
It would be a lie to call this movie a slog to get through (some moments work, and the dragons look fantastic), but I’d also be lying if I said I liked it. The biggest issue is that everything is recycled: the script, the soundtrack, the production design. It is all verbatim from the animated work. DeBlois does nothing to make this its own thing. Plus, the acting is pretty wooden. Try as he might, Thames does not carry this movie well, nor do his fellow castmates.
While I’m not a fan of studios employing this tactic, it does appear to be effective. Look at the returns Disney gets for their live-action remakes. I can’t say I’m disappointed either, since I went in expecting to be underwhelmed, but it would have been nice to have seen a heartfelt, boisterous film instead of the soulless cash grab this movie is. I may be in the minority opinion (especially considering the word of mouth I was hearing as the audience around me left the theater), but I’ll stick with the animated take if I feel the need to revisit Berk.
In Theaters Friday, June 13th
