At The Movies: How To Train Your Dragon is a safe but spectacular greatest hits tour

How To Train Your Dragon (PG)

125 minutes, opens on June 12
★★★☆☆

The story: In this live-action remake of the 2010 animated film of the same name, Hiccup (Mason Thames) is the weakling son of the burly Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), leader of the Viking village of Berk and famed slayer of dragons, creatures that have terrorised the village for years. Hiccup trains to be a dragon killer, along with young warriors-to-be Astrid (Nico Parker) and Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), all overseen by the blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost). Through his friendship with the dragon Toothless, Hiccup learns that everything he has been taught about the species is wrong. 

This live-action do-over is the screen equivalent of a band on a greatest hits tour – the story and much of the dialogue are a close copy of the 2010 original. Canadian film-maker Dean DeBlois directed and wrote all three of the animated films (2010 to 2019); and English music composer John Powell has returned, as has Scottish actor Butler, playing the same character he voiced in the originals. 

And as in any greatest hits tour, the emphasis is on brand recognition and nostalgia value, which Dragon delivers in spades, with some scenes being note for note. Parents taking their children to a movie they liked as kids will be pleased at the faithfulness. 

Those hoping to see the franchise colour outside the lines will be less happy. Mind you, live-action remakes can offer something new. Mulan (2020) dropped the cartoonish Mushu dragon sidekick; and Alice In Wonderland (2010), in director Tim Burton’s hands, became a weird, wild fantasy. 

But like most greatest hits tours, this return to Berk takes no risks. Why tempt fate, when viewers will be just as pleased with the same product, adapted from English writer Cressida Cowell’s book series of the same name? If anything, this remake is safer than the original – a scene in which Hiccup intoxicates a dragon with a drug-like plant similar to catnip has been sanitised. 

The key difference between the old and new lies in the visuals. The original’s inventive but blocky 3D animation has been replaced with state-of-the-art photorealism, which DeBlois exploits by stretching the battles. The Viking-versus-creatures scenes are the film’s highlight, whether they are played for laughs, as in the segments set in the dragon-slaying academy, or in the finale, which contains a tense monster attack scenario out of a Godzilla blockbuster. 

Also made more powerful in the remake is the sense of awe. Astrid and Hiccup understanding the power of dragonflight is especially well-handled – both visually and emotionally. 

Brain always beats brawn, according to Cowell’s story, and the film never compromises on that theme by giving Hiccup powers other than cleverness and empathy. The nerdy protagonist wins friends – both scaly and human – and influences people simply by being kinder and smarter. 

Hot take: This visually stunning but creatively timid remake plays the hits perfectly, without daring to improvise.