For many generations, Vikings and dragons have been at war with one another, including those Vikings living on the Isle of Berk. Hiccup, the son of the chieftain, finds himself in a crisis between following in his father’s footsteps as a dragon hunter, or devoting himself to trying to change negative public reception, showing his tribe that dragons may not be the villains they seem to be, when he befriends an injured one. Will Hiccup be able to find his place in the world and gain the respect of his tribe?
I’m definitely coming to this film with a different perspective than most. I have never seen a HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON movie before, so this live-action remake was my first entry point into this world. Fortunately, the end results are quite satisfying, with plenty of action, adventure, heart, and world building. It’s unabashedly predictable and formulaic at times (and this is coming from someone who’s never even seen the original) but the movie soars high overall.
A movie is only as good as its leading man, and young Mason Thames pulls this off beautifully as Hiccup, the young man who has never fit in anywhere in his village. He’s the classic lovable loser, and Thames pulls off this part in fine form, regardless of what it requires, whether he’s cowering in fear or finding himself and trying to find his place. The cast is rounded out nicely by his more stereotypical “tough guy” Viking father played by Gerard Butler (reprising his role from the animated original), the beautiful no-nonsense Astrid, played by Nico Parker, who Hiccup finds himself infatuated with despite her meanness, and other dragon hunters in training he finds himself having to deal with, including one played by Julian Dennison (DEADPOOL 2, GODZILLA VS. KONG).
Where HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON fares best is its world building. Berk feels very much like a lived-in village, and the population, united in their struggle against the dragons, makes for a great fantasy story. The look of the movie is spectacular as well with some beautiful locales, ranging from village walls to the inside of a volcano. It’s rare a movie’s look and atmosphere feel me with the wonder I experienced as a kid watching so many movies on the big screen, but HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, in particular Hiccup taking his first ride on the back of a dragon, manages to pull that off. Yes, the dragons are obviously CG, but it won me over and took me back to a simpler time in my life, and what greater praise is there than that? I was fortunate enough to see this movie on an IMAX screen at AMC Town Square here in Las Vegas, and the scenes, in particular those enhanced for viewing on the larger screen, looked incredible.
If there’s one weakness to speak of, it’s the somewhat predictable nature of the story. When we have a beautiful girl who’s a bit of a bully to the main character who’s infatuated with her, we know how things will go. When our hero finds himself conflicted between making his father proud as a dragon killer or trying to do the right thing and show that dragons are misunderstood, we know where the conflict will go and that there will be an obligatory happy ending (and I saw these plot beats coming despite having never seen the animated original!) The human characters, for the most part, almost always seem to miraculously never get hurt or injured. But shortcomings aside, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is family entertainment of the highest caliber.
Will Dreamworks making a live-action HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON be the first in a long-line of live-action remakes of their animated films, much like what Disney has been doing for the past decade or so? Does this mean live-action takes on SHREK, MADAGASCAR, and KUNG FU PANDA are around the corner? Who knows. It seems strange to see a live-action remake of a fairly young film, but I’m pleased to say that this new take on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is a triumph, and easily one of the best family movies of 2025 so far. Highly recommended!