How to Train Your Dragon

Review: The 2025 remake of the 2010 film, this film was a very faithful remake putting pretty much the exact story shot for shot on our screens in a new way. The film had solid performances with particular enjoyment coming from Mason Thames & Nico Parker as Hiccup & Astrid. The most faithful performance was obviously Gerard Butler as Stoick, whom Butler voiced in the original film. I also particularly enjoyed Nick Frost as Gobber, as this felt like a little teaser to Frost’s upcoming performance as Hagrid in the Harry Potter TV series. Overall the film was solid & would be a good watch for the whole family. There really isn’t much else to say about the film so I’ll keep this one short.

High: While there were a couple scenes that were noticeably bad on the visual side, overall the effects were pretty good. The designs and execution of the dragons was admittedly cool CGI and they mostly did a good job putting them alongside the human characters.

Low: I hate the existence of these live action films on principle. To me they devalue animation, making it seem like an inferior format of entertainment. It also feels like a huge slap in the face to the audience, recycling the same stories instead of putting effort into something new for people to enjoy. It is also just so grossly apparent that they are a money grab for studios & executives. All that to say that I did like this film & mean no disrespect to those involved in its production, I just don’t like the whole idea behind it.

Rating: 7.5/10