Short and Sweet

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2010)

Everything in this charming morality tale has been done before. The hero learns to question his most deeply ingrained assumptions, overcomes opposition and changes everything. But it's visually spectacular, has some laugh out loud moments as well as some genuinely moving scenes, and a brisk pace that never bogs down. A medieval settlement is plagued by dragon attacks, but instead of being stock European serfs who flee from danger and wait for a knight to save them, these villagers are Vikings who fight back pretty much on equal terms. Interestingly, the elder Vikings have accents that sound more Scottish than Scandinavian, although I do confess I've never actually heard a real Viking talk. Hiccup, the embarrassing son of the rowdiest Viking of them all, befriends a dragon, learns the secrets of dragons and why they raid his village, and finally leads an attack that saves his father, the other Vikings, and the dragons themselves. One of the prize moments in the film comes when Hiccup's father sees his son riding a dragon to the rescue and soundlessly mouths "what the ---?" The aerial scenes are beautiful and thrilling. Great, great fun.