Better Than Expected

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2010)

I first watched the trailer of "How to Train your Dragon" about 2 months ago, thinking that this would just be another casual Dreamworks animated feature, with all the cheesy jokes and the pop-culture references included. However, this movie greatly surpassed my expectations.
We are introduced to a vivid world, with plenty of color and movement, which makes it seem as lively as it should for the given context. The visuals are outstanding therefore no complaint there.
The Characters may not be the most original ones, for example the main character being an underdog who wishes to go against the flow of his society in order to do the right thing etc etc, but they serve their purpose in the movie, and that's just fine. The characters are given all the depth they require and the whole film remains unharmed from this element.
The Children will LOVE this movie. It's energetic, colorful, moving, funny... It has everything. I'm not saying it's masterpiece, but it definitely goes beyond the average animated flicks that Dreamworks previously presented.
The whole experience, of course, is enhanced by the use of 3-D technology. Moments in the movie will literally take your breath away, especially during the dragon flying scenes, as the audience is given a realistic feel of hovering through mid-air.
Bottom line; Go see this movie along with your kids (or even without, it doesn't really matter) and it is guaranteed that you will have a great time!
8/10