cinemabon
04-22-2010, 02:28 PM
“How to train your dragon” (2010) Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
When I first saw the overwhelmingly favorable critical reaction, the film piqued my interest. However, I was on vacation at the time and I could not entice my teenage son to go with me. A shame. This is really a father and son movie… fathers with pigheaded pride who don’t listen to sons trying out their new voice of assertion. I would also add this bracket that some films lend themselves to the new 3-D process. I went to bat originally in regards to “Avatar” on this site (and prevailed, I might boast). You could add “Alice in Wonderland” to that list (although I found “Clash of the Titans” somewhat disappointing). Such is the case with this film, too, as the 3-D process enhances several scenes with almost mystical depth (such as a mast that vanishes into the fog). I wonder if two of the unfavorable critical reviews I read would have been so harsh had they watched the film in the 3-D process (one critic refused and the other used the excuse the process did not work on the day they went to the theater… highly unlikely).
The story is relatively simple. The dragons are perceived as being bad. The Vikings are the heroes and thus on the good side. However, all is not as it first appears. The film opens with an exciting scene that immediately brings the audience into the action. The dragons, breathing fire and all, raid the peaceful island of the Vikings, stealing their sheep and wreaking havoc. Inventive young “Hiccup” (Jay Baruchel) normally a nuisance in the way he interferes, uses a device to down an especially fierce and unseen dragon – a Night Fury – so named due to its speed and black color. After a verbal reprimand from his father, Stoick (Gerald Butler) the village leader and the fiercest among the Vikings, Hiccup wanders off to find his downed prey. After days of searching, he finally finds the wounded Night Fury and prepares to kill it when, out of a sense of mercy, he releases the dragon instead. He calls the beast Toothless and gradually overcomes his fears by befriending the dragon. Over time, he learns the different aspects to the dragon species and uses these observations to train Toothless. This is the basic plot. The conflict meant to follow entails acceptance into the Viking community, one plot point easily predictable but whose outcome is not.
Co-Directors DeBlois and Sanders last animated “Lilo and Stitch” whose resemblance to Toothless did not go unnoticed by some film critics. However, that aside, “… dragons” has enough originality and difference to pass comparisons. Despite the obvious symbolism (Stoick is stoic and Hiccup is a nuisance), “…dragons” has a fine message for adults and plenty of excitement for children. The visuals are quite stunning and the running time slips by all too quickly. The production company hired cinematographer Roger Deakins to supervise the visuals, which may be why the composition in many shots is so spectacular (AA nominated for “The Reader). Based on a novel by Cressida Cowell (its plot deemed too mild for the film), “How to train your dragon” deserves a better title for the fun, the ride, and the brilliant message at its end… that for every act of heroism, there is a price. Highly recommended (especially in 3-D)
When I first saw the overwhelmingly favorable critical reaction, the film piqued my interest. However, I was on vacation at the time and I could not entice my teenage son to go with me. A shame. This is really a father and son movie… fathers with pigheaded pride who don’t listen to sons trying out their new voice of assertion. I would also add this bracket that some films lend themselves to the new 3-D process. I went to bat originally in regards to “Avatar” on this site (and prevailed, I might boast). You could add “Alice in Wonderland” to that list (although I found “Clash of the Titans” somewhat disappointing). Such is the case with this film, too, as the 3-D process enhances several scenes with almost mystical depth (such as a mast that vanishes into the fog). I wonder if two of the unfavorable critical reviews I read would have been so harsh had they watched the film in the 3-D process (one critic refused and the other used the excuse the process did not work on the day they went to the theater… highly unlikely).
The story is relatively simple. The dragons are perceived as being bad. The Vikings are the heroes and thus on the good side. However, all is not as it first appears. The film opens with an exciting scene that immediately brings the audience into the action. The dragons, breathing fire and all, raid the peaceful island of the Vikings, stealing their sheep and wreaking havoc. Inventive young “Hiccup” (Jay Baruchel) normally a nuisance in the way he interferes, uses a device to down an especially fierce and unseen dragon – a Night Fury – so named due to its speed and black color. After a verbal reprimand from his father, Stoick (Gerald Butler) the village leader and the fiercest among the Vikings, Hiccup wanders off to find his downed prey. After days of searching, he finally finds the wounded Night Fury and prepares to kill it when, out of a sense of mercy, he releases the dragon instead. He calls the beast Toothless and gradually overcomes his fears by befriending the dragon. Over time, he learns the different aspects to the dragon species and uses these observations to train Toothless. This is the basic plot. The conflict meant to follow entails acceptance into the Viking community, one plot point easily predictable but whose outcome is not.
Co-Directors DeBlois and Sanders last animated “Lilo and Stitch” whose resemblance to Toothless did not go unnoticed by some film critics. However, that aside, “… dragons” has enough originality and difference to pass comparisons. Despite the obvious symbolism (Stoick is stoic and Hiccup is a nuisance), “…dragons” has a fine message for adults and plenty of excitement for children. The visuals are quite stunning and the running time slips by all too quickly. The production company hired cinematographer Roger Deakins to supervise the visuals, which may be why the composition in many shots is so spectacular (AA nominated for “The Reader). Based on a novel by Cressida Cowell (its plot deemed too mild for the film), “How to train your dragon” deserves a better title for the fun, the ride, and the brilliant message at its end… that for every act of heroism, there is a price. Highly recommended (especially in 3-D)