HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

At the risk of sounding like an old man yelling at the clouds, I’ll say it: these live-action remakes of recent animated films feel wholly unnecessary. I might be swayed if they offered something new, but like Disney’s remake of “The Lion King,” this new “How to Train Your Dragon” plays it safe with a nearly shot-for-shot retelling.

How close is it to the original? So close that one of the original directors helms this version, the score is nearly identical, and Gerard Butler reprises his role as Stoick — this time live-action. Toothless looks almost the same, just bigger. The VFX are solid but don’t add anything new or impressive beyond what the animation already nailed.

Most of the cast feels like they’re doing impressions of the animated originals. Mason Thames leans hard into a Jay Baruchel-style Hiccup — the scrawny Viking with something to prove — while Nick Frost tries to channel Craig Ferguson as Gobber. The only one who truly stands out is Nico Parker (daughter of Thandiwe Newton) as Astrid. She brings real presence to the role, grounding every scene she’s in. There’s a quiet strength to her performance that hints at a seriously promising future.

Faithful to a fault — this version just never quite justifies why it exists.

VIEWED ON
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Screened at Studio Movie Grill Simi Valley