Henry Saw: How To Train Your Dragon

The best 3-D movie I've ever seen...



I don't know what's more surprising: The fact that I saw two great movies in a row with the word "Dragon" in the title...or that How To Train Your Dragon was great. From the trailers it looked like every other CGI film not made by Pixar...which is to say it seemed like it would be somewhere between generic and bad. Outside of Antz, the first Shrek, and Kung-Fu Panda, every other CGI animated film that was made by a company not named Pixar has been sub-par. They're not all bad...some are average...but most are pretty darn weak.

How To Train Your Dragon is a real achievement. It's a fantastic film. For the first 45 minutes I was somewhere between bored and unimpressed. I didn't get why the movie had a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Well, then the rest of the film came, and I've not been more swept up in a film's latter half in a long time.

The movie's plot: We open somewhen during the dark ages. The setting is a Viking village that is terrorized by Dragons. Our hero, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), is the son of the town's greatest warrior (Gerald Butler), and an apprentice of the town's blacksmith (Craig Ferguson). Hiccup encounters an undersized, disabled, and protective dragon that he names Toothless. After realizing that Toothless is not a threat, Hiccup ends up befriending and bonding with the small dragon, and uses the information that he learns from Toothless to excel in Dragon Killing School. It all leads to a climax of Hiccup's father in charge of a big offensive against the dragons and Hiccup having to lead his classmates in an effort save their parents from the king of the dragons.



As I said, the first half of the film is not that inspiring. It has its charm, and gives you all the information you need to know about this world and the characters, but I wasn't sure what kind of movie it was supposed to be. It's not that funny, or exciting...it was a lot of build up.

Once Hiccup (who is serviceable as a main character) finds Toothless...the movie hits every right note. Toothless is an endearing and compelling character and his relationship with Hiccup will touch anyone who has owned a pet. The flying scenes...good golly the flying scenes...this is what 3D was made for. Forget Avatar...this is the movie that showed me how 3D can be used to enhance a movie. How to Train Your Dragon is a true experience and can only be fully enjoyed in three dimensions.

The finale, which is exhilarating, is one of the best climaxes I've ever seen in a children's film. The villain is impressive and imposing, we actually feel fear for our heroes, and every plot thread comes together in a satisfying manner. It's...great.



I can't recommend the film enough. If you have a kid...or if you're a kid at heart...give this movie a chance. I adored How to Train Your Dragon and, despite a slow beginning, think it is the most exciting film of the year by far. It might lose a lot on DVD so try to see it while it's still on 3D screens

Grade: A

Best Scene: When we see just how big the evil dragon really is...