Dragon Trainer

The long-awaited live-action adaptation of the beloved animated classic How to Train Your Dragon exceeds all expectations. Directed once again by Dean DeBlois and powered by John Powell's unforgettable score, the film stays about 95% true to the original story: a young Viking who forms an unlikely bond with the very creature his people are sworn to destroy.

-Highlights:

The casting is surprisingly good - I had my doubts about Hiccup and Astrid, but the actors became their characters in the best way.

The CGI is epic. Every dragon - from Toothless to the fire-covered Monstrous Nightmare - looks incredibly realistic and faithful to the animated designs.

The music hits hard emotionally. Scenes like the sand drawing, flight training, the romantic flight, and the final battle with the Alpha dragon are breathtaking.

Visually, the landscapes and Viking setting are on another level - rich, immersive, and cinematic.

-What would I change? Honestly? Nothing. This is how live-action adaptations should be done. Hollywood finally got it right (unlike certain mouse-owned franchises... 🐭👀).

-Final thoughts: This movie isn't just a tribute - it's a stunning, faithful revival of Berk's magic for a new generation. A must-watch experience on the big screen!

Rarely does a remake pay homage to original, even rarer does a remake capture its heart and soul that made the characters and storyline so captivating.

How To Train Your Dragon (2025) is everything you hope for in a live action adaptation and usually don't recieve. The characters (Especcially Hiccup and Stoick) translate exceptionally well to live action and the special effects leave nothing to be desired. In many ways, this remake plays even better on the big screen than the animation ever did due to the sheer size of the set pieces and the impressively realistic dragon CGI.

The make-or-break of this film, however, was the score. Retaining John Powell's powerful, moving and emotionally resonant composition elevates this movie to a different level.

Other than some of the casting choices and acting perfomances not comparing to the original, this remake's only main flaw is that it's a remake. It's essentially a way of watching exactly the same movie but in live action, which while being its biggest flaw, also manages to be its biggest asset - Its the only remake in recent memory that one can truly claim has recaptured the magic of its source. Go see it, it may well be one of the best films you'll watch this year.

This movie runs mostly as the original animation. Could be said, one of the most stunning live-action remake. Graphic cool, CGI cool (like animation dragons but upgraded a bit more real), landscape sooo cool, casting fine enough, music nice, plot same as origin but I saw some minor changes that don't affect the story. Flying scene very fantastic. For emotional, beginning to middle (for me) feels a bit neutral until toothless started flying scene cuz it was the same as animation, and mid to end was a bit intense, I saw they tried emotional act at final a bit more than original. Personally, I like to see a bit dark as origin with iconic music (not as animation's) however since this is children film, I can't blame on them. Anyway and overall, I really enjoyed the film as if I saw 1st original while I was young. It brought some nostalgia back. I'm looking forward to 2nd movie. Thank you, DreamWorks!

I think one of the problems with this current live action era is how took the original material and go: "Yep we are not doing that" and proceed to torn the story apart, but this one tastes of love for the first movie and and don't take away the magic away.

I understand that some of the cast aren't carbon copies of their animated but overall the actors are fairly good and we get to see a little more of character building for some of the kids, like Snoutloud and Astrid.

Hiccup is great and awkward like he is supposed to be, Stoic is stubborn and strong-headed, is his way or the highway and Gerald Butler delivers. I mean come on he is Stoic!

The trend of transitioning animated movies to live-action is on the rise these years, with Lilo & Stitch and other movies. This time, what would happen if the director who directed the same franchise in animation returned to direct the live-action version?

Dean DeBois, he's the man. The man who previously helmed the three How to Train Your Dragon movies is back to direct the live-action version of this movie. The studio has made the right decision to hand over this movie to him. Because the vision and mission he conveyed in the previous movie are suitable to be brought to the live-action format. This movie does not replicate the previous movie but adds how magical the expressions of the characters are, especially Mason Thames, who plays Hiccup. That's really seeing the animated version. He was perfect as Hiccup. While the other actors also showed their abilities in this movie.

Gerard Butler, who previously played the animated version of Stoick, continues to return for this movie? This is a cinema moment right there. He really fits back in for this movie. There are no other words.