On the trip home from the movies, with the ticket stub in my bag I turned to my partner in the driver's seat as he 'bobbed' his head at the Black Eyed Peas 'Imma Be'. "Babe, that ending was sad". I didn't think about it until I had actually gotten into the car, completely zoning out the music. He turned to me with a sort of confused expression "Girl your gonna be reviewing this one aint yuh". Well, here I am and I still couldn't get that ending out of my head.
"How to train your Dragon" painted a new light from the cliched 'fire-breathing-knight-and-sword-slaying' imagery we are accustomed to. I only pictured the writer saying, "You know we always see dragons being the enemy, well except for Shrek and a few others, but, how about a movie just for them. Let's tell their story". That story was told in an unbelievable manner. I reached to the movies ten minutes late (The cashier took long with the popcorn), but I made it in to see Hiccup being confronted by his father to go to dragon training. In the haste to find a good seat, I still managed to capture the beauty of each character.
From Hiccup's dad and his traditional take on life, to Hiccup's heroism and determination to show 'the dragon's' side of the story, this movie captured fantastic on so many levels. Comedy mixed with adventure and action are any ingredients made to give you the thrill you need. I mainly focused on the plot in the end, when Hiccup had to face what was probably the only mean dragon to live. Hiccup's bond with Toothless was almost like a child's bond with a puppy, but Hiccup had more responsibility than making sure his chow was out on time. Training a dragon felt more like raising one and training yourself to fly beyond heights.
Everyone figured Hiccup for the shrub in the bunch, but every plant had his day and Hiccup's own surfaced the moment he and Toothless became like a family. Toothless knew when Hiccup was in danger and was willing to risk his life to save his best friend. The connection between them moved beyond the screen and I am certain into the audiences heart.
I would refer to the ending, when Hiccup lost his foot in battle, this was the only 'happily ever after' story that wasn't completely happily ever after. So Black Eyed Peas was finished and he turned down the volume "You know, he gained far more than he ever lost". Referring to Hiccup. I guess he was right, and I am certain he would smile when he reads this review, but 'How to Train your Dragon' is definitely one to see, take the whole family if you want to and have fun with everyone on screen, you would enjoy it.
Lexa
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Four and a Half Stars
Grade A
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1 comment:
I greatly liked this movie. The ending, while not a complete victory, isn't a total tragedy either. He's got a prosthetic foot, but he's dealing with it, which makes him closer to Toothless, with his prosthetic tail fin. The village people don't treat him awkwardly, the kids thinking battle wounds are cool anyway, and I can imagine this movie being really neat to kids who do have prosthetic limbs.
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