Films for Breakfast

If you thought Disney would be the only studio cashing in on remaking their beloved animated classics, think again. That said, credit where it’s due – How to Train Your Dragon actually feels like one of the rare properties that’s genuinely well-suited for a live-action adaptation due to the rich and immersive world-building that the original trilogy had on display. Just like in the original film, How to Train Your Dragon follows the story of Hiccup (Mason Thames), a young Viking struggling to find his place on his home island of Berk, where a long-standing war with dragons has gone on for generations. After feeling pressured by his father, and chief of Berk, Stoic the Vast (Gerard Butler, who reprises his role from the animated film) to slay dragons, Hiccup instead befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their bond challenges the village’s beliefs and offers a new path for Berk.

I’m generally not a big fan of this brand of live-action remakes. Even though I tried to stay optimistic about this one and saw some of the potential for it, I walked into the theater already a bit annoyed that it was being remade at all – especially since the original animated film still holds up incredibly well. One of the film’s first strengths is that it’s directed by Dean DeBlois, the same filmmaker behind the original. Right from the start, it feels like one of the most lovingly crafted and detail-oriented live-action remakes to date – you can absolutely tell it’s made by the same creative mind. There’s a nice reliance on practical sets, and the way they bring Berk to live is pretty stunning. I also quite enjoyed how the designs of each dragon translated to live-action.

That said, in this iteration, that familiarity and care can only take the film so far before it needs to break new ground and truly justify its own existence. The story of Hiccup and Toothless remains timeless and emotionally powerful, but this remake plays it safe – largely functioning as a shot-for-shot recreation of the animated original, with only a handful of depth added to certain characters and bits of lore to slightly expand the narrative. Otherwise, it feels as if it’s simply here to remind you how much you love the original. Which I do! But this begs the question… why wouldn’t I just watch the original?

I don’t want to come off as overly negative, because this is ultimately a serviceable remake that doesn’t diminish the original. Mason Thames delivers a strong performance as Hiccup, bringing a slightly different take on the character compared to Jay Baruchel’s performance in the original films. This version of Hiccup feels more like a typical teenager and Thames does a great job making him universally relatable – even in a world filled with dragons. As always, Hiccup’s bond with Toothless is the emotional core of any How to Train Your Dragon film, and this version does a respectable job of capturing that connection. It’s hard to either overly praise or criticize the film in this area, as it mostly mirrors the original – but to its credit, all the big emotional beats still land, even if you’ve seen them before.

One aspect of the film that pleasantly surprised me was the relationship between Hiccup and Astrid (Nico Parker). While I wouldn’t say this take on the characters surpasses the dynamic from the original, I appreciated the added layers that helped flesh out their enemies-to-lovers arc. Nico Parker might actually deliver the strongest performance in the film – bringing depth and nuance to Astrid, all the while maintaining the core of the character. I also really enjoyed seeing Gerard Butler return as Stoick. He translates well to live-action and shares a few emotionally resonant moments with Hiccup that feel nicely developed this time around.

Where I struggle with the film is that, on one hand, its biggest moments are where it comes closest to justifying its own existence. The action is top-notch, with some genuinely impressive flying sequences, and the third act, while not deviating much from the original, is visually stunning and genuinely exciting to watch. John Powell’s score remains an all-time great and does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting. On the other hand, the film’s emotional beats and character moments never quite reach the same heights as the original. Even when they work within the context of this version, they fall short of recapturing the depth and resonance of the animated film – an inherent problem with any live-action remake, let alone one that doesn’t want to take any liberties with the story.

All in all, I’m pretty mixed on this live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. It doesn’t do quite enough to justify its existence, and the effort to recreate the original beat-for-beat starts to feel a bit tiresome over time. That said, thanks to some strong performances, impressive visuals, solid production design and overall entertainment value, it works well enough to warrant a passing grade. I’ll always recommend the excellent animated version first, but if you’re already a fan, this one is just fine.