Movie reviewers aren’t perfect. We often enter the theater with prejudices and expectations just like everyone else. Who would want to see the animated kiddy movie with a title in the running for Hollywood Innuendo of the Year? An immature masochist like me, apparently.
To my surprise, How To Train Your Dragon blew me away, plain and simple.
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the teenage son of a great Viking chief (Gerard Butler), wants to prove himself to be as burly and butch as his fellow Norsemen by killing dragons. Unfortunately, he’s the weakest, wimpiest whippersnapper since Screech from Saved By the Bell. Miraculously, he shoots down the rarest of all dragons but fails to summon the strength and kill it. Hiccup instead befriends the beast—whom he names Toothless—and through his new wingman, he uncovers untruths about dragons and averts potential disaster between dragons and Vikings. Did I mention that he gets the girl too?
The narrative follows a traditional formula and lacks the range of a film like Up or Wall-E. But though it suffers in terms of substance, it succeeds in sheer entertainment value. The fanciful flying scenes—which I can only imagine are even better in 3-D—and the climactic battle singe the screen like a Hungarian Horntail. The blossoming friendship between Hiccup and Toothless will surely instill in you wicked delight and a cheesy grin, especially if you’re a sucker for coming-of-age tales.
Whether you’re a hardcore football player or a lovely little lass, this movie will find the scaly chink in your dragon armor and make you giggle with glee.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.