Charming but derivative and predictable

Rating: 6/10 (4 April 2015)

How to Train Your Dragon is more than a pleasant experience. Its got a lot of colour and a fairly decent adventure. However, it all falls apart by being completely derivative and therefore extremely predictable.
The dragon training from Avatar, the inventive non-conforming protagonist from A Bug's Life, the intercultural communication from Monster's Inc., the Gerard Butler character from 300 - How to Train Your Dragon might just be the least original film to come out in the last five years. As for predictability, the film follows the least twisted narrative ever. Everything from Hiccup's father's changing attitude towards his son to the twin friends being paired with the two-headed dragon can be seen coming from a mile away.
The predictable script is also a reason I never engaged with Hiccup as a character. Many, if not all of his decisions throughout the movie are not based on a believable character, but are based on allowing the story to proceed. No boy would ever choose to face a dragon before the whole village than tell his father about a dragon.
How to Train Your Dragon is also a case and point example of where animated films could benefit from being targeted at older crowds and therefore made less kid-friendly. For a premise that hinges on a thousand year war between humans and dragons, to show not one death in the entire film is rather nasal. I would almost give the film kudos for Hiccup's final fate, but by that point I was so sick of it that I didn't care.
An extremely overrated film, its a pleasant experience but put it low on your list to see.