How to Train Your Dragon

 When Roger Ebert reviewed the 2011 remake of Footloose, he observed that the film was so similar to its 1984 original that he was tempted to just reprint his original review. "But that would be wrong," he said.

Let's go back a year earlier. How to Train Your Dragon was the last new theatrical release I saw before Clash of the Titans, whose review kicked off this very blog, so I could have reviewed it. This new remake sticks so closely to the original that it might make an older review redundant. If its upcoming sequel, and yes, they are already making it, is that close to How to Train Your Dragon 2, I wonder if that review will be redundant.

Even then, let's put in some work in reviewing this movie, any sequels, or even Disney's too-soon Moana remake. So, let's train some movie dragons.

So, in case you need reminding, we have a Viking village on the Isle of Berk that has a dragon problem. As in, dragons show up at night to steal livestock and burn everything. Hiccup (Mason Thames), son of the Viking Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, back from the animated trilogy), tries to be as formidable a dragon killer as the adults. But his inventions leave a lot to be desired. Still, during the opening attack, he accidentally strikes down the rarest dragon of them all, a Night Fury. Later on, Hiccup tracks down the wounded dragon, but he spares the creature, while the dragon doesn't kill him.

Hiccup starts sneaking out of the village to study the Night Fury, whom he names Toothless. His findings help him get by in Gobber the Belch's (Nick Frost) dragon-hunting class. He also realizes that dragons aren't as bad as their reputation suggests. Meanwhile, Stoick and his warriors are hunting for the dragons' hidden nest. Hiccup has to get Stoick to listen to reason so that no more lives, Viking or dragon, will be lost.

As with the animated sequels, Dean DeBlois takes on the writing & directing credits that he shared with Chris Sanders on the first film. It runs nearly a half-hour longer than the first film, partially thanks to some added story material for Hiccup's dragon-hunting classmates. But it recreates so much of its predecessor shot-for-shot and nearly line-for-line that even people who haven't seen it in ages might notice. I'm one of those people, and I noticed how tangentially familiar this "new plot" is, even down to Hiccup's opening narration. One major new plot point is that the supposed death of Valka, Hiccup's mother, lingers heavily on his and Stoick's relationship. It's pretty suspenseless considering that she shows up in the sequels (though, I wonder if they'll bring back Cate Blanchett next time).

I'd be lying if I said this was a total wash. The photorealistic renderings of the dragons, from the two-headed Hideous Zippleback to the demonic Monstrous Nightmare, are all appealing, but none more so than Toothless. He barely looks any different than his already cuddly animated counterpart. The film really sparks when he and Hiccup interact, whether it's in hostility or in friendship. It's hard to feel nothing when Toothless and Hiccup take to the air, accentuated by John Powell's returning score. After a while, you might forget that the dragons are all digital creatures; the integration is just that good. It's quite seamless when the film switches to animatronics a few times.

What else does it have? There are a ton of practical sets, visualized by production designer Dominic Watkins, to visualize Berk. A few particular highlights include the dragon-hunting arena, the dragons' nest, and Toothless's grotto. Any CGI-enhancements, or even CGI sets, are as seamless as the dragons. It helps to have a great cinematographer in Bill Pope, whose credits include Spider-Man. Costume Designer Lindsay Pugh does a decent job recreating the cast's animated wardrobes, though her most striking design is that of the mute Elder Gothi (Naomi Wirthner), who is unrecognizable in live action. A bit more recognizable is Butler's Stoick, who is just as bombastic here, for better or worse, as he was in cartoon form. Hiccup's dragon hunting classmates are fine, but none are as memorable as Astrid (Nico Parker), who gets a few great moments with him.

I don't hate How to Train Your Dragon, far from it, but I am perplexed on how to conclude this review. On one hand, if you've seen the first film, then you'll have seen this one already. On the other hand, it's a good incentive to check out the first film, even if it's just for comparison purposes or to embrace Powell's Oscar-nominated Score. What do I make of it all? Despite its rigid adherence to its predecessor, it's still got some spirit compared to something like the remakes of The Lion King or Psycho. It's a harmless matinee, and that's fine. I think I said enough.