How to Train Your Dragon Review: A Faithful Remake That Still Resonates With its Spectacular Live-Action Version

What’s the point of remaking a movie like How to Train Your Dragon if you are not bringing in fresh perspectives or updating the story without disrespecting the source material? That’s exactly how I felt when I saw the first trailer for this live-action take on the 2010 animated original. It has that immediate sense of deja vu, making me wonder if it will be a shot-for-shot remake upon seeing the movie in its entirety. Well, the answer to that is a big yes; typically, this would mean a disappointment. A classic case that I would say you might as well revisit the animated version instead.

And yet, the irony here is that Dean DeBlois, the chief architect behind the successful How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy, who’s calling the shots again, manages to surprise me otherwise. Not that the plot undergoes a major facelift because frankly, it’s more or less the same from the overall storytelling beat right down to the camerawork. It was rather the decision to turn the animated feature into a live-action version. And guess what, it looks visually spectacular watching a live-action How to Train Your Dragon, which almost seamlessly integrates the human actors and lifelike CGI dragons like they belong in the same space.

Given the fantastical premise, I was initially worried this was going to be shot entirely on green screen, but I’m glad DeBlois and his team remain committed to filming the movie as practically as possible. It’s hard not to be immersed in the craggy isle of Berk dominated by the Viking clan, thanks to its stunning on-location shoot in Northern Ireland. DeBlois, who single-handedly adapted Cressida Cowell’s children’s book series this time around, looks to me like he’s a firm believer who stands by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” principle.

Like the 2010 animated original, the live-action version opens with Hiccup’s (Mason Thames) opening voiceover narration as we learn about the endless rivalry between the Vikings from Berk and the dragons. Hiccup is the young son of Stoick the Vast (a perfectly rugged-as-usual Gerard Butler, reprising his role in the flesh after providing the voice in the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy), who is socially awkward while lacking his chieftain father’s never-say-die bravery and fighting spirit. Instead, he’s more of an inventor and a blacksmith like Stoick’s best friend, Gobber (Nick Frost).

One night during a dragon raid, Hiccup manages to shoot down a rare black dragon from the sky dubbed the Night Fury, after firing a launcher. I admit the first act somehow takes its time to find a proper footing, despite retaining most of the original’s storytelling structure. I also can’t help but feel the supposedly estranged father-son relationship between Thames’ Hiccup and Butler’s Stoick is somewhat muted. Perhaps it helps better if DeBlois delves deeper into their conflict.

Thankfully, the movie significantly improves once Hiccup meets the Night Fury somewhere in the forest for the first time. He subsequently names him “Toothless”, and like the original, it takes a while for them to bond with each other. Toothless is stuck in the forest after half of his tail fins are gone as a result of Hiccup’s launcher, causing the Night Fury to have difficulty flying into the sky.

The movie also includes scenes of Hiccup as part of the young Viking hopefuls — among them include Astrid (Nico Parker) and Snotlout (Gabriel Howell) — to complete a series of training in the arena to learn how to subdue different captive dragons. I was originally sceptical about Nico Parker being cast to play one of the beloved roles in How to Train Your Dragon, particularly since she doesn’t resemble the animated character both physically and ethnically.

Gone is the iconic blonde hair that defines Astrid’s appearance in the animated original, but even so, Parker still manages to capture the character’s feisty charm. It also helps that she’s given an extra boost of a character arc, notably her determination to become the future chief of Berk someday. Not to mention, she equally excels in her love-hate dynamics with Thames’ Hiccup.

Speaking of Hiccup, Thames does a good job leading the role of an unlikely young hero who defies the odds by proving that the dragons aren’t the enemies that the Vikings have had a deep hatred for generations. His relationship with Toothless remains one of the highlights here, from their eventual bonding to the test flight, where the latter captures the majestic scene that looks great on the big screen.

John Powell, returning to compose for the live-action version, soars with his epic music score during the key moments. The action is top-notch, with the high-stakes third act against the gigantic, yet imposing Red Death resulting in one of the most thrilling live-action dragon battles ever put on the big screen. DeBlois is set to return for the sequel, currently slated for a 2027 release.