How To Train Your Dragon 3D Review

How I Met Your Dragon is the latest offering from our friends at Dreamworks Animation, the folks responsible for such computer animate hits as Shrek and Madegascar, among many others. "They did Ice Age too, right?" No. You're thinking of Blue Sky Studios. If you're going to butt in, try not to make a fool of yourself. No, I don't have children. Yes, I went to see this movie by myself. No, I didn't regret it.

At an unspecified time, at an undisclosed location, exists the island of Berk. On this island lives a community of proud and brave Vikings whose existence consists mostly of fending off dragon raids and rebuilding their village afterwards. They also catch fish and rear livestock which the dragons make off with.

A young blacksmith's apprentice by the name of Hiccup is having trouble launching his career as a dragon slaying Viking due to his inadequate build and poor aptitude for combat. He wants nothing more than to prove himself, but his inability makes him too much of a nuisance to participate in the frequent dragon battles. This is of course a great disappointment to his father Stoick, highly revered dragon slayer and village Chief. Since Hiccup doesn't have the strength to wield a weapon any larger than a dagger with any degree of effectiveness, he has compensated by creating a device which launches boleadora  , but it has proven unsuccessful thus far.

"A fly in my mead? Could this day get any worse?"

One evening, as per usual, dragons begin attacking the village and Hiccup is instructed to stay indoors and out of the way. Yeah, right. Instead, he sneaks out with his contraption, determined to demonstrate its usefulness and his. On a fray adjacent hill, he sets up his launcher and scans the night sky for a target. Just then a Night Fury makes its presence known by blasting through the top of a nearby tower with blinding speed and explosive results. Night Furies are the most feared of all the many classes of dragon. This hit and run menace attacks under the cover of darkness and is so fast that no one has ever actually seen a Night Fury, only the carnage it leaves in its wake. So, Hiccup is understandably a little tense at this point. As the Night Fury makes another pass, Hiccup does his best to anticipate it's path and fires blindly into the darkness above. Somehow, the projectile connects with its target and the dark mass plummets to earth somewhere out of view. And so, with more ass than class, Hiccup becomes the first Viking to ever bring down a Night Fury. If only someone had seen, he would have been a hero then and there. But, as fate would have it, events transpire that might just see Hiccup become and even greater hero for an even greater reason. Or he might die; one or the other.



Hiccup   , the littlest Viking, is voiced by Jay Baruchel   who you may remember from Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder. Hiccup may not be strong, but he is intelligent and hardworking. I found him easily likable and enjoyed watching his escapades as opposed to Astro Boy⁺The incarnation from the recent cg feature, that is.  who made me want to shake him 'til his head came of.

Stoick   is voiced by the unmistakable and seemingly ever present Gerard Butler   . Even compared to the rest of the menacing hulks, Stoick is one solid Viking. To have turned out so small, Hiccup must take after his mother. And if that's true, the conception would have been rougher on the poor woman than the birth. Stoick is a good leader and a good father, but he has trouble coming to terms with the fact that his son is not, and most likely never will be, a fierce dragon slaying behemoth like his.

Gobber   is Stoick's offsider and in charge of training the Vikings to be. It drove me crazy trying to pick the voice actor. It turns out it's Craig Ferguson   , host of The Late Show With That-guy-whose-name-I-just-said. Gobber favours a "learn on your feet" teaching style in the same way that you might teach a person to skydive by pushing them out of a plane and then toss the parachute out after them. Maybe it's just me, but trial and error doesn't seem like best approach when learning to overcome giant, fire-breathing reptiles.

"You know, my bedroom window looks onto your bathroom. You sure do spend a lot of time in there."

Toothless   , a Night Fury which Hiccup befriends, is the dragon used to demonstrate the appropriate training techniques referred to by the film's title. Seeing the friendship develop between Hiccup and Toothless is really quite heart-warming. Toothless is the type if dragon I would love to have if only my landlord wasn't so strict about pets.⁺I was going to use the word hard-ass, but my landlord is so nice, I feel bad even joking about it.  Being sleek and black, Toothless is considerably different in appearance when compared with his bright and pointy brethren. I guess it makes sense since he is built for stealth and speed, but it's still an obvious disparity.

Astrid   is a young lady Viking voiced by America Ferrera   of Ugly Betty Fame and, as you may have already guessed, is tough, pretty and the object of Hiccups affection. Too bad she only sees him as a bumbling idiot who has been having a suspicious amount of luck at dragon training lately. I sure hope he finds a way to win her over.

Two other characters worth mentioning, if only for their voice actors, are Snotlout   and Fishlegs   voiced by Jonah Hill   and ChrisTOPHER Mintz-Plasse   respectively.

Dragon reproduction is now part of the curriculum

Since this is a Dreamworks picture, it should come as no surprise that the visuals are an absolute delight. The cartoon style may not appeal to everyone, but there's no denying that the production is first rate. Everything is beautifully rendered in brilliant detail and the animation is fluid and satisfying.
With all of the animal skins and Viking beards, there is a lot of hair in this movie and it all looks amazing.
Since Hiccups village is built on an idyllic island, there is plenty of eye candy to take in. There are the ocean vistas, the lush forests and the spectacular view from the air during the flight sequences.

The 3D element really enhances this movie and is the most effective I've seen since Beowulf. This would be due to the fact that How Green Was My Dragon is 100% cgi and rendered for 3D as opposed to a life action film that has been post processed. If you've been holding out for a 3D movie worthy of the inflated price tag, then wait no longer. In fact, if you're interested in this movie at all, which you should be, then I recommend you pony up and see it in glorious 3D.⁺Your results may vary. 

The original score by John Powell is also a highlight. For me, you really can't go past an orchestra for conveying the broad range of emotions a film soundtrack requires. In How to Lose a Dragon in 10 Days the music proves a pleasing accompaniment to the stunning visuals. You can preview some of John's handiwork here



Since there are no good stories left to be thought up, movies our days are passed on properties from other mediums like books, comics, video games, old TV shows and even existing movies. How to Make Friends and Influence Dragons is no exception, being based on a series of children's books and more than few changes were made in adapting it for the screen. For example; in the book, the Vikings of Berk train the dragons, where as in the movie they are just battle against them. Hiccup has red hair in the book, but in the movie has brown hair. In the book, Toothless is a small green dragon with no teeth. In the movie, Toothless is a much larger, black and actually has teeth. The fact that his teeth remain retracted while not in use making him appear toothless which is why Hiccup names him Toothless in the movie. The roles of the supporting characters have been change up a bit too and Astrid does not appear in the books at all.
In the book, the dragons speak Dragonese, where as in the movie they are mute but for the typical roars and grunts you'd expect from a run of the mill dragon. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the language shoehorned back into the story if there was ever a sequel.

"IMMA FIRIN MAH LAZER!!!!"

I also notice that while the adults have what sounds like a thick Scottish accent, the teenagers speak with a distinctly American accent. I guess they must have all just gotten back from their stay as foreign exchange students in the US.⁺of A 

How My Dragon Got It's Groove Back is the type of movie we've come to expect from Dreamworks Animation; A dazzling, family friendly romp which is exciting, funny and sentimental at times. You can take your kids to it, but only if they promise to shut the hell up.⁺The candy bar really should sell chloroform. Be sure to sign my petition.  I did enjoy this movie, but the plot was a little too simple and the "moral of the story" was a little too touchy-feely for my liking, though it was better than Kung Fu Panda in this regard. The solution to the Viking's dragon problem was just way to convenient and unrealistic. Yes, I know a kid's movie about dragons isn't exactly going to be aiming for realism; I'm just saying.

"If you could just reach on in there and dislodge that fish bone, that would be great."

How to Train Your Dragon is highly entertaining and worth catching in 3D. I'm giving it three and a half breastplates out of five. It's a great movie, but I just can't bring myself to give it four.

Other Dreamworks Animation features I recommend: The Road to El Dorado, Over The Hedge & Madagascar