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After seeing "How to Train Your Dragon" this past Easter weekend I have discovered that just about everything I thought I knew about dragons was wrong.
I really had no expectations going in to see this new Dreamworks Animation’s latest animated film, based on the children's book by Cressida Cowell and directed by the duo that brought us "Lilo & Stitch.
In fact I almost passed on seeing "How to Train Your Dragon" altogether and see "Clash of the Titans" instead. The reason being is that "Dragon" seemed to be underwhelming. The trailer just felt bland & boring. It seemed to be a story about a boy that shot down a dragon, they became friends & that's about it.
Well, it kinda was but imagine my surprise when it turned out to be funny, charming, and action packed as well.
SideNote: The movie is being shown in both 3-D and 2-D. I saw it in 2-D (Gasp) Oh, go ahead and scoff ! Do yourself a favor and save your money, from what I've heard the 3-D adds nothing to the experience but an attempt by the movie people to have you pay more to see a distracting (often dizzying) unnecessary feature.
So this is what I learned about dragons:
They don't just breathe fire,
They can belch lightning and toxic gas, too.
They come in every color and shape you can think of, not just lizard green.
They curl up into a ball and fall asleep when you tickle their underneath their chins, like kittens.
And contrary to every fairy tale you've ever read, they don't necessarily want to kill you. They're just hungry.
In fact, a well trained and well fed dragon makes a great house pet!
The story is about a young scrawny Viking named Hiccup,(voiced by Jay Baruchel but I would have sworn it was Matthew Broderick), the boy least likely to become a dragon slayer. In other words, Hiccup isn't so much a dragon killer he's more of a dragon whisperer. A kinder gentler Viking. This doesn’t sit well with his father, a really tough Viking named Stoick; given that dragon slaying is pretty much a day to day activity in a Viking's life.
Hiccup may be in touch with his feminine side but that doesn't mean that he doesn't want to be like a traditional Viking. But when it comes time to actually kill a dragon, Hiccup doesn’t have the heart. So rather than use his bare hands he makes a net-shooting contraption hoping to at least capture one of the dragons.
He gets lucky one night and catches one of the most feared types of dragons, the dreaded Night Fury! Now he can finally prove to his father that he is a true Viking. Only one problem he feels sorry for the poor thing. So as you probably have guessed by now Hiccup secretly nurses it back to health learns to ride and fly with his injured dragon that he has named Toothless.
I loved the actual “dragon training” sequences. At no point is this film really about training a dragon. It's more about Hiccup forming an affection for his dragon.The bond between Hiccup and Toothless is shown with little or no dialogue, it is conveyed virtually through facial expressions. That couldn't have been easy. But it just works.Kudos to Dreamworks Animation!
Having said that however, the movie isn't perfect.
While I enjoyed all the scenes involving Toothless (he reminded me of a bulldog I used to have) I just wish all the animation was on point. In fact, surprisingly Toothless, who looks a bit fishlike but acts like a puppy, it displays the most accurate rendering of emotions and expressions. I actually found the humans, to be a little less lifelike than their dragon companions.
Oh, how I tried not to, but as I watched these brawlers saddled up on great flying lizards, I kept thinking, "How to Train Your Dragon Meets Avatar." C'mon, the comparisons are too obvious to ignore, a main character who betrays his people and learns to love the enemy with dragon flight scenes ending in a final battle thrown in for good measure.
The film tries to introduce a romance that just didn’t work for me, partly because the character Astrid’s transformation from “badass tough female” who wants nothing to do with Hiccup to “instant girlfriend” was rushed and just didn’t feel natural.
I wasn't feeling the voice actor of Hiccup. His nasal whine was at times irritating - and he sounded far too adult for the young Hiccup. Again, I thought it was Matthew Broderick - I'll let you decide if that is a good or bad thing. And while we're on the subject oddly, Hiccup is the only Viking with an American accent.
I have no doubt that this is going to make Dreamworks a mint. At least I hope so.. Let's face it, any non-Pixar movie is automatically fighting an uphill battle in the animation industry.This is very much a story for both adults and kids to enjoy; it's is never preachy and always remembers to be fun.Here be dragons - lots and lots of dragons - and for once that's a good thing. I definitely want one now as a pet.
Rated PG |
Posted by oxyjen on Apr 16, 2010 |
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