How to Train Your Dragon is a heart-warming tale of a
misfortunate Viking youth struggling to find his place in the harsh, brazen
world of his archipelago.
The film immediately draws the viewer in with the classic tale of the underdog whom wishes to clamber their way to the top, in the form of “Hiccup” (voiced by Jay Baruchel); who’s name immediately tells you everything you need to know about the character.
Hiccup is intended to mirror many of today’s youth in that he is not like everyone else, he is small, scared, smart, and a general outcast in his society.
The film immediately draws the viewer in with the classic tale of the underdog whom wishes to clamber their way to the top, in the form of “Hiccup” (voiced by Jay Baruchel); who’s name immediately tells you everything you need to know about the character.
Hiccup is intended to mirror many of today’s youth in that he is not like everyone else, he is small, scared, smart, and a general outcast in his society.
The film immediately
opens with some light hearted, but self-deprecating humour: “This is Berk. It’s
12 days North of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death…”.
Hiccup – being the narrator of this opening sequence – then goes on to describe the village, explaining that “The only problems are the pests.”, at which point we see a sheep plucked from its field mid-graze. We then learn that these pests that Hiccup is referring to are Dragons. The film then starts a sequence of action in which the village attempts to defend itself from a dragon attack, accompanied by some fast paced, but cheerful music, setting the tone of the film as a family friendly venture.
What then ensues is a brief description of each of the Dragons featured within the film, plus some of the main characters; a sequence which is sure to excite young viewers.
Hiccup – being the narrator of this opening sequence – then goes on to describe the village, explaining that “The only problems are the pests.”, at which point we see a sheep plucked from its field mid-graze. We then learn that these pests that Hiccup is referring to are Dragons. The film then starts a sequence of action in which the village attempts to defend itself from a dragon attack, accompanied by some fast paced, but cheerful music, setting the tone of the film as a family friendly venture.
What then ensues is a brief description of each of the Dragons featured within the film, plus some of the main characters; a sequence which is sure to excite young viewers.
The film then follows
a typical narrative of the kid whom everyone looks down upon for being
different eventually proving everyone else wrong, and showing them a different
way of viewing their world.
The film is filled with sentiment, and messages about love,
and peace rather than violence and war, and overall sends a good message.
It is also filled with characters than the viewers can warm to, namely the wide-eyed, sweet, but dangerous character of “Toothless”.
It is also filled with characters than the viewers can warm to, namely the wide-eyed, sweet, but dangerous character of “Toothless”.
The problem with this film however, is that it feels like a cliché, lending too much to the regular formula of the underdog story.
Overall, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders done a wonderful job creating this family friendly adventure. The world they created for this Dreamworks project feels vast, and full of life.
Overall, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders done a wonderful job creating this family friendly adventure. The world they created for this Dreamworks project feels vast, and full of life.
Rating: 4/5
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