Great fun even without the kids

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2010)

I wasn't expecting a kid movie, and I didn't get one. Granted, this movie is kid-friendly, but it has enough substance in the story that it doesn't get weighed down with mind-altering attempts at comic relief. The story is enough without any inanities.
Hiccup is about as non-Viking as a Viking can be, and of course, his dad is the chief of the island, and the biggest, most Vikingest Viking that a Viking can be. He tries to use his skills to fit in and impress his dad, but his skills aren't physical. He's more of a thinker and a problem solver.
When he befriends one of the most legendary dragons, which no one else has even seen, he begins to see into the nature of the dragons and how to deal with them. It isn't easy to convince the Vikings of this, but the circumstances of the story eventually take care of that problem.
The "chemistry" between Hiccup and the dragon Toothless is amazing considering that this is animation. All the characters are well-designed to bring out the characters, but Toothless is an impressive feat in his movements and his ability to convey emotions through expressions and body language throughout the movie.
The action in this movie is pretty eye-popping, but some of the more understated scenes are pretty striking in their own ways, such as the fight in the clouds when the Vikings are simply observing flashes of light. For a warrior people who venerate Thor and Odin, such a scene must have been dramatic in a different way.
Comic relief is here in the form of some of Hiccup's peers, and while they may have had more character in the book, they seem to be kind of sporadic in their scenes here. As a compliment, at last they aren't overused meddling goofups filling in for plot points with contrivances, as you might see in lesser movies. They definitely have character, even if it doesn't have a chance to show. The story stays focused and gets where it needs to be by the end.
Overall, all the elements in this movie make it worth seeing. I'd even be up for a second viewing.