Reel Review: How To Train Your Dragon is The Best Live Action Remake Yet
In a crowded media landscape with attention spans dissipating, studios continue to trend towards leveraging known IPs, reboots, remakes, and adaptations. While Disney has long dominated the live action remake trend, Dreamworks has now jumped in and is giving the mouse a run for its money.
I was the prime audience for the original How To Train Your Dragon movie, and it is one that I have always adored. For anyone who sympathizes with animals, it’s hard to not resonate with this film. Toothless is not only adorable, but is able to convey so much emotion and range through simple expressions and sounds that any animal lover can catch onto. Hiccup’s underdog story is also an encouraging one for children who may feel like they aren’t living up to their parent’s expectations.
After a few flops of live action remakes, my hopes were relatively low heading into How To Train Your Dragon. The overuse of CGI and task of matching animated and live action talent can be difficult to balance, but they nailed it. There were very few moments when I consciously picked up on some green screen backgrounds but rarely effected my viewing experience. The design and effects team perfectly blend real and animated elements in a way that is enjoyable for both kids and adults.
Nico Parker and Mason Thames were perfectly cast as Astrid and Hiccup. The duo are age appropriate and fit the character’s personalities so well. There have been some critiques of Parker’s castings, and to that I say you are dead wrong. This film has never intended to be a historically accurate telling of viking times, there are dragons people!! While I too may be resistant to change, this is one that I am completely on board with. Having strong female leads in children’s movies sets the tone for a new generation outside of the princess being saved by a prince times of the past.
Mason Thames takes on Hiccup with such grace and accuracy. Much of this is due to costuming, but Thames embodies the awkwardness of being a kid and finding yourself under the guise of parental expectations. He represents an era of change and empathy for his people, and to that I commend him. Hiccup’s storyline is entirely derivative of the original, but Thames brings an added layer to the character with facial expressions, posture, and line deliver.
While I don’t see much appeal or reason for these live action remakes, How To Train Your Dragon takes the cake as the best one yet. It adds a few modern changes while keeping the integrity of the original story in tact. The live action and animated elements blend together seamlessly making this reimagining enjoyable for kids and adults alike.
How To Train Your Dragon is playing in theaters now.
