Displaying items by tag: How to Train Your Dragon 2024 movie

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

US, 2025, 125 minutes, Colour.

Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Julian Denison.

Directed by Dean DeBlois.

Once upon a time, there was a village in the Arctic, a Viking village, called Berk. Life was tough. And, there was continued threat of rampaging dragons. In the Viking tradition, the way to win was to conquer the dragons in battle – but, the Vikings were often thwarted, even with the staunch leadership of Stoick. Audiences were introduced to this adaptation of popular stories by Cressida Cowell in 2010. This was through the highly entertaining animated version of How to Train Your Dragon. And, so popular, there were two popular sequels.

In recent decades, there has been the Hollywood trend of making live-action versions of popular animated films. And with varying success and, sometimes, odious comparisons in favour of the animation In fact, the director of How to Train Your Dragon was a co-writer and co-director of the original Lilo & and Stitch as well as of the live-action remake, which broke box office records around the world only a month before the release of Dragon.

When it was suggested that there be this live-action remake of Dragon, Dean DeBlois decided  to direct it. And, while he brings the magic touch of his animated films, he has made the transition to a vigorous and enjoyable life-action. At times this film is quite spectacular, extraordinarily rugged cliffs and clifftops, surging sea. And, the director has been able to use, often scene by scene, the screenplay of his original film. It works well.

And, the casting is also strong. This time the young Hiccup, son of Stoick, expected to follow in his chieftain father’s warlike footsteps, is played by Mason Thames, an affable young man, the actor able to act and cavort with his favourite Dragon, Toothless, since Thames has ballet training and experience. The voice of Stoick in the animated films is that of Gerard Butler, here able to use his Scottish accent after all those action shows in the US, but is not just a cartoon character. He is a proud father, disappointed in his son, ultimately forced to acknowledge  the moral strength of his son as well as his courage and wisdom with the dragons.

The casting is also effective in choosing live-action actors who resemble cartoon characters! (And it is always a pleasure to see New Zealand’s Julian Denison, the Wilderpeople, here as one of the Dragon-fighting students.) Nico Parker proves that female Dragon fighters can be as good as, even better, than so many of the men!

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And training one’s Dragon? The moral of the story is the importance of brains over brawn. All kinds of training to fight the dragons, ships and weapons, shields against the Dragon flames. But, Hiccup Is intelligent, encounters a friendly Dragon, relates to Toothless, but has a scientific and engineering mind and imagination, finding ways of befriending and taming the dragons – able to achieve peace.

If you enjoyed the animated films, try this one because while both  fantasy, live-action actually creates the impression that this is what those Viking times were really like!

1.            The quality of the film?  Popularity?  Visuals?  Vocal?  Story?  Values?

2.            The live-action remake, the use of the same screenplay, the look of the characters, their voices, the sound effects? The action, the sense of realism compared with animation fantasy? The action sequences, the dragons, flight, the warfare? The human characters, seeing them and hearing them? More real? The score?

3.            The title and expectations? 

4.            The voice-over explanation, the traditional Viking life, the desolate island, the culture, eternally fighting the dragons? 

5.            The island, its peaks and forests, the surrounding sea?  The sheep and their expressions, the dragon attacks?  The fights?  The Viking way of life?  Life as a battle?

6.            The visualising of the dragons, the great range of appearances, the swooping, the fire, the stealing?

7.            Stoick the Vast?  The patriarch, leading the Vikings, the warrior, the loyalty of his men?  His disappointment with Hiccup?  His hard attitude, talking and not listening?  His friendship with Gobba?  The training, his dismay, wanting to disown his son? 

8.            Hiccup in himself, scrawny build, the Viking expectations, trying to life up to his father’s hopes?  At home?  Gobba and his work?  His being  mocked by the other kids?  Yet being inventive (and his fixing the artificial limb for Toothless)?  The attack of the dragons, his wounding Toothless?  Going through the forest to find him, Toothless unable to fly properly?  Hiccup and his reaching out, the trust of the dragon, supplying him with food – and the jokes about fish and eating, Toothless having to eat the fish?  Playing with Toothless, flying?  Hiccup and his talent for flying?

9.            Gobba, his work as a blacksmith, confidant of Stoick, his wooden leg and the story of his losing his limb?  Training the young kids?  Astrid, the boys and girls, their parody of American teenagers?  The variety of dragons, the various tests, the fears, the reaction to the dragons, running away?  Hiccup, learning the reactions of the dragons, their fears?  Able to tame them, put them back in their cages?  Everybody amazed?  Stoick amazed?  Hiccup’s changing reputation?

10.     The character of Astrid, warrior, tough, defying Hiccup? The training sequences, her collaboration?

11.   The training sessions, pickup and avoidance, his studying the dragons, his imagination, science, the equipment, with toothless, the success of his techniques? The other members of the training squad, the range of characters, cartoon characters, activities, their build, talk, finally joining in the final confrontation? The parents?

12.         Astrid, Hiccup’s attraction, her tough stances?  Going with Hiccup, discovering Toothless, kissing him, slapping him?  Flying and the bond between them? 

13.         Stoick and the decision for the expedition, Hiccup’s pleading that they not go?  The ships, the sea, the danger, the storms, the battles? 

14.         Hiccup and Astrid, flying, discovering the nest of the monstrous dragon?  Toothless and his abilities?  The return, the explanation? 

15.         Stoick, the defeat, Hiccup and his flying, being forced to listen?

16.         The Night Creature, monstrous, the dragons all supplying it with food, its emergence, the challenge, Hiccup and Astrid, Toothless and the destruction of the dragon? 

17.         The dragons and the Vikings, in peace?  The film’s themes about fathers and sons and reconciliation, expectations, listening?  Peace as more important than battles?  Friendship and society?