Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

My first movie review for Danale.com! Wish me luck!

Movie: Dreamwork’s How to Train Your Dragon

See it or save your money: See it in IMAX 3D, and don’t settle for less.

In short: Amazing movie with some adorable, some genuinely fearsome creatures. Very inspirational for the artistically-inclined.

In long: Dreamworks has always released great films in both animation and live action, but I never actually started favoring them over Pixar, Disney and other studios until I saw Kung Fu Panda and shortly after purchased the art book. Compared to both Pixar and Disney, Dreamworks is a humble studio and yet one with original, memorable characters, with fresh, laugh-out-loud humor and perhaps one of the most unique styles on the planet. After seeing Dragons, I thought back on Kung Fu Panda and the Madagasgar films, among others, and have concluded that, for me, they are currently the leaders in animation entertainment.

Now, anyone like myself who like animals and fantasy creatures would of course want to see any movie about Dragons (Rochelle and I forced ourselves through Dragon Wars despite how hilariously awful it was), but what I was anxious to see was what kind of flair Dreamworks and their amazing animation/art team would put on it. Not for a second does the movie keep you waiting; Right from the beginning you see some apathetic, bug-eyed sheep grazing in the field of a small Viking village at night, until a barrage of gnarled, swirling, spikey, smooth, fat and slender shapes start darting through the air and setting the scene ablaze. It’s intense, but not half as intense at later scenes or, especially, the ending.

Before seeing Dragons I watched a movie critic on CNN comment that the characters weren’t as memorable as Dreamworks’ other movies, though I have to disagree. While there isn’t as much time to get a real feel for all the characters as there is in Dreamworks’ other movies (namely since so much emphasis is placed on what the audience came to see–dragons), there is enough time given to each character for you to pick up on their overall personality and quirks and for you to care about what their next move might be.

I will say that I found Hiccup, the human protagonist, annoying enough with his nasal voice and Dreamworks’ classic nerd-trying-to-fit-in nervous tics (ok, so Dreamworks does have one overused persona), that he was quickly forgettable. Thankfully, Hiccup grows some spine by the end of the movie and you do end up rooting for him and feeling sympathetic to his outcome in the end (which I won’t give away!).

Flying Scenes: Dragons vs. Avatar: I saw this movie with my buds Rochelle and Andrea, and Andrea noted that she had read a review that Dragons’ flying scenes were even better than Avatar. With Avatar being a movie I deeply fell in love with despite having nearly zero originality to it, I will say this about the flying scenes.

Avatar’s flying scenes were amazing and special to watch because everything about them looked so real. The Banshee Jake flies has eyes that twitch around scanning the sky like a real hawk, you can see Jake’s hand patting the realistic texture in its skin. On top of this the world of Pandora was one viewers were begging to see from the sky from the get-go with the enormity of its forest and the mysterious beauty of the floating mountains. Yet the entire time, these flights and Jake’s taming of the Banshee and the “Last Shadow” are completely, undoubtedly expected by the audience. Avatar completely failed to make the taming or flying of the beasts tense in any way. Even when Jake initially falls off the cliff, unable to control his Banshee, we all share a collective yawn knowing he’ll have it figured out soon.

Although the previews to Dragon showed the kids flying the beasts, Dreamworks gives the main dragon character, Toothless, such a strong, unique and cat-like personality that you often doubt if Hiccup will really be able to fly him unscathed, if at all. Toothless is initially handicapped with a torn-off tail wing in the beginning of the movie, and as Hiccup brings him food, gains his trust and ultimately attempts to repair his wing, you are waiting and hoping for him to get up in the air again and show us what he’s got. On top of all this, Toothless is given such a dark reputation from the Vikings (unlike Neytiri’s meager warning in Avatar that the Banshee might try to kill whomever attempts to tame it…pfft, big deal!), you constantly wonder if he will ever show his dark side against any of the humans again, or if Hiccup will be able to harness his powers.

Dragons has long, beautiful and varied scenes dedicated just to flying. These scenes are absolutely fantastic, and not once does it ever feel gimmicky. They fly through the woods, over the ocean, into the sunset and almost into outer space.

In terms of which is better, it’s hard to say. They are both arguably very different movies. Dragons makes you feel more emotionally connected to Toothless and his renewed ability to fly, and the fact that the movie is animated leaves some license open to flying into over-beautified, artistic scenery. Avatar wows you with the realness factor. I have said countless times that Avatar feels more like watching a National Geographic special than an imaginary world.

So, for me, I’d have to say the flight scenes are a tie. What do you think?

My favorite dragon: After the movie, we headed to the local Wal-Mart after being handed a pamphlet about the exclusive toys. Needless to say, we splurged a little.

We all got a Toothless toy (of course), but I added a “Deadly Nadder” to my collection as well. This was my favorite dragon in the movie. It had a goofy face on a wyvern body, with bright, parrot-like colors and a birdlike personality to match. To me, it had the most interesting design of them all.

Which was your fave? Let me know!

This movie definitely left us all feeling very inspired. Expect to see some sweet dragon drawings popping up soon!