'Sweeping, Action-Packed, and All With Plenty of Heart'

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2010)

Ah, good ol' Dreamworks. As their most successful-albeit overused-cash cow is the Shrek series; it's pretty hard to distinguish any other of their movies as gems. However, while a humorous approach has been taken to their movies, many of them have had different results. For example, the 2004 movie 'Shark Tale' was an utter disaster, while 2008's 'Kung Fu Panda' was funny as well as plenty entertaining. Their latest romp, 'How to Train your Dragon,' definitely falls into the same category as the latter, but also succeeds in distinguishing itself as a completely different movie.
Based on the book series by British author Cressida Cowell and directed by Disney alum Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch), the story centers around a young Viking lad named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel, whose nasal tone compliments him both physically and mentally) whose absent- minded ideas and wry sense of humor make him outcasted by other Viking teens, as well as shunned by his father, the mighty Stoick (Gerard Butler, also perfect). But, when one of his inventions actually manages to capture the mysterious Night Fury, he finds himself befriending it in secret, as well as learning from it to become the first 'dragon trainer.' But when he finds himself at odds with not only the town, but with the dragons themselves, he also finds himself with the key to making peace betwixt the dragons and Vikings.
The plot itself-even in a nutshell-is pretty enticing, but the trailer proved otherwise. It looked formulaic and joke-ridden from the first trailer, which made my skeptical side say, 'no way, Jose!' However, during the second trailer, I was reeled in. It was more dramatic, more depth defying, and definitely more plausible. From there, I was eager to see itand, let me say, its money well spent.
At first, it seems that the plot is going to be a little formulaic. You know the story: The underdog, who everyone hates and can't seem to do anything right, proves the town wrong with his groundbreaking, but effective methods. That has indeed been done before, but, surprisingly, this plot enhances the story instead of slowing it down. Anything that seems to be a cliché only gives the story the wings to fly...excuse the pun.
The other big issue I had was with the side characters. No, I don't mean the brash, but helpful Gobber (played by a highly entertaining Craig Ferguson) or the beautiful, fiercely driven Astrid (America Fererra). I mean some of the other teens who are thrown into the dragon training ring with Hiccup, who is inept at first, but his friendship with Toothless helps him make his way up. Anyway, I thought that these four teens: The pigheaded jock, Snotlout (Jonah Hill, another cash cow), the adorable, girth-wide nerd Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz- Plasse, aka Superbad's McLovin), and, my personal favorites, the jugheaded, head-butting twins Ruffnut (a gravelly-voiced Kristen Wigg) and Tuffnut (A snarky TJ Miller). The latter have become a cult following that is huge in the online and fandom communities, much to the moviegoer's surprise. However, in the movie, these teens are only here to serve as the play- it-by-numbers obstacles that our main hero has to overcome on his own, though there are definitely more pressing issues. I would have liked to see more of them in the film, despite the fact that they might take away from the story. It just would have been nice to see someone sympathize with Hiccup.
Oh, and one more thing-the dragons, man! All of them also have different types and personalities, which I think is kind of awesome. The flying scenes are pretty cool too, described by many to make 'Avatar' jealous. There's a lot to look at, so why not? Overall, this movie has more heart than most of their works (Save 'Kung Fu Panda'), as well as unbelievably creative settings and creatures. It's definitely worth the time to be swept off your feet by this instant classic.