How to Train Your Dragon [2025]
How to Train Your Dragon is the live-action remake of the beloved 2010 animated DreamWorks classic, and “remake” is indeed the word.
The plot of the movie tells the story of Berk, a Viking village in a long-standing war with dragons. Six young teenagers—Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut—are training to fight dragons in an arena. However, Hiccup befriends a Night Fury named Toothless instead of killing it. He trains Toothless, which leads to the disappointment of his father, Stoick, the chief of Berk.
The Good
First, the good: The visuals are amazing. The dragons look incredibly cool, and the characters look stunning, especially Astrid (more on her later). I also love the set design of Berk. It was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but how they made it look like the world of Berk is truly amazing. Mason Thames and Nico Parker were perfectly cast as Hiccup and Astrid.
The Bad
When I say “remake,” I truly mean remake. This is a shot-for-shot, beat-for-beat rendition of the original. They do, however, pepper a few new elements in there for long-time fans. I do want to talk about Astrid, though, because I feel they both enhanced and somewhat detracted from her character. Let me explain. They give Astrid a bond with Stoick, and poor Astrid loses Stoick’s trust during a fight scene that broke my heart. This really made Astrid a bit more relatable to Hiccup, in my opinion.
On the other hand, she makes a remark about 30 minutes in about wanting Hiccup’s house and wanting his future job of being Chief. I thought it was a bit uncalled for and made Astrid seem a bit spiteful, like that one kid in school who used to always make mean remarks.
Conclusion
To conclude, this movie looks amazing, and the two leads are well-cast. Take note, Disney; THIS is how you do a remake. You keep the spirit of the original alive while peppering in new elements to keep it fresh.
Do take your kids to the cinema this summer to see this film over Elio; they will devour this film, and parents will also not get bored—they will love it too. If you haven’t seen the original, do check it out, but I don’t think one is better than the other; they are both on par with each other, in my opinion.
My overall score is a fire-breathing 8.5 out of 10. No extra training was needed; the filmmakers passed their exam with flying colours.
There is a relaxed showing of How to Train Your Dragon at Wellington Orbit on 26th July
