Trained Very Well...

Rating: 7/10 (30 March 2010)

DreamWorks studios has raised the bar for themselves and have proved themselves to be a visual competitor of Pixar Animations with their new film, How to Train Your Dragon. This animated gem with the voice talents of Jay Baruchel, and a comedic cast ensemble of voices, is one of the dazzling adventures to blaze the screen this 2010.
The film tells the story of little Hiccup, a young, small Viking who has been long trying to prove himself as a fierce warrior to his huge in mass father and village. When he finally captures one of the world's most ferocious breed of dragons, young Hiccup discovers a world, no Viking could have ever imagined.
The screenplay by this five man and woman writing team is decent, though at times not as engaging as other CGI films that have ignited screens on fire for the past few years, it's an admirable step in the right direction for DreamWorks studios. It's leaps and bounds over last year's Monsters vs. Aliens, which wasn't half bad itself so I can appreciate the growth. The story is straight- forward, a bit predictable, and in its climax and bit heavy.
As many have stated just by looking at the preview for the film, the visual sequences with the dragons and flying are some of the most beautiful shots seen on screen this thus far. For the majority of the film, the viewer can find himself/herself in utter awe at the color schemes and stunning work shown.
***/****