In 2010, not so very long ago, DreamWorks released How To Train Your Dragon, a medieval fantasy about a gentle-hearted Viking boy who is raised to hunt dragons but would rather befriend them instead. Two sequels and a TV show later, DreamWorks has followed Disney's example and remade the movie in live-action. Is it worth your time?
By and large, critics say yes! As of right now, the movie has an 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 61% positive rating on MetaCritic. So both review aggregators recommend the movie, but one more than the other. How does that work?
Well, looking at the reviews, while there are a good number of positive ones, they're often positive in an "It's okay, I didn't hate it" sort of way, so less a ringing endorsement and more an acklowedgement that it "does no harm," as one review puts it.
Let's take a look at some of the good reviews, mediocre reviews and negative reviews of the movie and let you make the final decision for yourself.
How To Train Your Dragon is good
- Variety: "It's hard to improve on the first movie, though the last act looks positively iconic in this new incarnation, unlocking the expressionistic power of Heavy Metal toons and Boris Vallejo paintings."
- Associated Press: "It’s the kind of immersive sensation and giddy wish fulfillment that might just have you forgetting momentarily to breathe and, maybe more importantly, that you’re still in a movie theater."
- ScreenRant: "How To Train Your Dragon is fantastic, not just emulating the original but elevating it, all the while also delivering a blockbuster poised to thrill."
- USA Today: "Fortunately, the new How to Train Your Dragon does no harm. Instead, it lets loose a heartwarming, meaty adventure perfect for a new generation of young film fan but doesn't forget to entertain the older movie kids, either.
- IndieWire: "That [director Dean DeBlois] can still find excitement and joy in this well-tread story is a testament to both his work and source material. No one needs a live-action remake, but ones this faithful and sweet are not the problem."
Several reviews mention original composer John Powell returning for this movie and elevating his previous work to new heights, so if you're the kind of person who enjoys a good sonic experience, make note of that. Even the reviewers who didn't like the movie as much enjoyed the soundtrack. And speaking of them...
How To Train Your Dragon is okay
- The Hollywood Reporter: "How to Train Your Dragon honors the charm of the original. It’s not an essential remake, but at least it’s not an offensive one."
- Empire: "It’s clearly made with real love and care, but shows far too much deference to its progenitor. Even in a remake, we need more originality and less playing the hits."
Although the movie has an 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes overall, the "Top Critics" are more evenly split between those who enjoyed the film, qualified or not, and those who didn't. Let's get into some of the haters:
How To Train Your Dragon is bad
- RogerEbert.com: "This version just doesn’t pop, doesn’t flow like the originals, almost playing like an extended cut of a film that was originally tightened in the editing bay."
- TimeOut: "The old saying goes: ‘Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.’ How to Train Your Dragon delivers the bare minimum to warrant its recreation."
- Daily Telegraph: "It somehow elongates its predecessor’s running time by 27 minutes without adding a single atom of noticeably fresh material. Perhaps all the dragons are just flying around a bit more slowly this time, or the vikings have to walk further between huts."
- The Times UK: "It’s loud and diverting and very young children are sure to be entertained. But it’s also utterly dead, right down to its hollow, greedy, cash-grabbing core."
Some critics were clearly not impressed with how the movie indulges in the current trend of live-action remake, although I have to wonder if that will matter as much to audiences who just want a good time at the movies. If you roll your eyes whenever Disney announces it's remaking one of its animated classics, How To Train Your Dragon might not be the movie for you. But if all you want is a good time, whether you've seen the original or not, it's sounds like there's something here.
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