How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

I got a special request from Whitney to review Dreamworks' new movie "How to Train Your Dragon". Off the bat, I'm going to say go see it. I loved this movie. This has been the best Dreamworks movie for me since Shrek. HTTYD has a very interesting assortment of cast members ranging from Jay Baruchel as the misunderstood yet clever Hiccup, Gerard Butler as Hiccup's dad Stoick, to America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig as the band of young dragon slayers. The story is set in a small Viking community near the sea, which is constantly harassed by dragons who come to steal their livestock and most of the time, wind up burning down half the village. In this village, Hiccup, the son of the village chief Stoick, is everything a Viking isn't. He's clumsy, he's not very strong and he doesn't have much of a talent for fighting. The one talent he does have, is the ability to understand dragons and befriend them, in particular Toothless, a very rare and curious dragon (a Night Fury). Hiccup and Toothless eventually form a strong bond which is contrary to the very nature of a Viking, whose natural enemy is the menacing and deadly dragon. Hiccup struggles to find acceptance in the village, among his peers and also with his father.

This high flying adventure is full of action, magic and a tiny kid sized portion of romance. There is an epic battle between the dragons and the Vikings, which is well done. I loved the different kinds of dragons and the dragon fighting school scenes. The ingenuity of Hiccup shows throughout the movie and what he lacks in physical strength, he makes up for in smarts and sincerity. I thought that his transformation from beginning to end was in some ways cliche; the young boy who desperately wanted to fit in, finally finds acceptance by standing out. In that respect, I think if you must have a script with an over-arching cliche, make it interesting, make it fun and make it memorable. How to Train Your Dragon hits all three points. The ending (which I won't spoil) caught me off guard but in a good way. It showed that just because it is a kids movie doesn't mean they have to make the ending overly fluffy. There are some good lessons to be learned in this movie, such as don't be quick to judge someone (or something) before you get to know them, be true to yourself, stand up for your beliefs and you'll never regret it.

I'm going to rate this movie 8.0/10 dragons.

Go see it!