How to Train Your Dragon

Currently Only in Theaters

Runtime: 1 Hours 56 Minutes

Rated PG

The original How to Train Your Dragon came out in 2010, and I remember seeing it in the theater and thinking, “This would make a great live-action movie.” I guess I wasn’t alone because fifteen years later, we now have a live-action movie that I am sure will spawn sequels.

Themes:

Dragons, fitting in, Vikings, fighting, protection, father-son relationships, training, testing, legacy, expectations, family, friendship, teamwork, making your parents proud, loss, tradition, and night furies.

Language:

There are no traditional curse words, but they do say things like, “son of a dragon.” The word “bloody” is used, and several religious exclamation puns are made, such as gods, Thor almighty, and gods’ sake. One character also says, “Send them back to hell.”

Stuff to be aware of:

Grossness - Toothless eats a fish, but spits the head back out and Hiccup tastes it.

Scary - There are a few shots where something happens very suddenly, which may cause some viewers to jump. The CGI crew does a good job bringing the dragons to life, but life-like dragons could be scary for very young viewers.

Sexual - A few male characters crush on a female character and ogle over her. There is an amusing scene where Hiccup’s father gives him a helmet made of his mother’s breastplate. Hiccup starts out rubbing it with his hand, but then stops when he finds out what it is.

Violence - Many sheep get carried off by dragons for dinner. This movie isn’t any more violent than its animated counterpart, but it is live-action so it’s more intense. When the dragons get eaten by the alpha, it is more intense. The big battle at the end is epic, but could be scary to younger viewers.

One character knocks the teeth out of a dragon. When Hiccup reads, “A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons,” he mentions how several dragons kill their victims, including one that turns its victims inside out, and don’t forget, “dragons will always go for the kill.”

Other - Just like in the animated movie, Hiccup loses his foot. This scene plays out almost exactly how it does in the original.

Overall:

Seeing It With Your Family

If your family has seen the original animated film, you will not find anything here that is much different, but it will be more intense since it is live-action. I was extremely pleased that the writers and director did not add bad language.

What I Thought

If you were one of the many fans who believed the original was great, and you were hoping that DreamWorks and Universal didn’t change it you can rest assured this movie is almost the same as the original. Outside, of some very minor changes and a few characters getting more screen time and development, the movie remains about the same as the original with many of your favorite scenes playing out just the same.

I’ve been unhappy with a lot of the live-action remakes we have gotten in the last few years, but this one is really enjoyable. Bringing back the same director and musician to do the score was a good idea. Some of the changes, such as Astrid’s dislike for Hiccup spawning out of privilege, make sense and give the characters reason for their actions or develops their personality further.

My only complaint, is that the actress who plays Astrid does such a good job loathing Hiccup that when they kiss on the cheek scene takes place it doesn’t feel earned. I think we needed a bit more time with Hiccup and Astrid interacting and the audience getting to see him grow on her.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and like the animated movie, I imagine we will be watching this one over and over again and buying a Toothless Funko Pop.