Dragons

How to Train Your Dragon is an incredibly faithful remake where every change it makes is subtle and avoids having disastrous consequences for the original narrative. The heart of the story is intact and it mostly understands when to change a few things so they work better in live action as well as keeping the best moments virtually the same. It is comfortably better than nearly all of Disney's live action remakes in the last decade and easily ranks as one of the best ones ever made.

Mason Thames is perfectly cast as Hiccup, simultaneously delivering almost every single line in a spot on fashion whilst making the role his own and ensuring his bond with Toothless is believable. Gerard Butler rightfully returns to the role of Stoic with an even greater gusto and emotional heft somehow. Nico Parker benefits the most from the new material so her Astrid has slightly more depth and the same level of determination. Nick Frost also makes the role his own and feels like the right choice for the character.

Original co-director Dean DeBlois helming this one in his live action directorial debut makes it feel more like a director's cut of its animated predecessor. His involvement imbues the film with so much warmth and ensures it retains a strong pace despite being half an hour longer now. Bill Pope's cinematography makes all the flying scenes suitably thrilling again and the CGI is really good for the most part. John Powell's score remains absolutely faultless and a big reason for why this works as well as it does.

Honestly... I didn't expect to feel the same way I did back in 2010, but this film brought it all back.

The remake went far beyond my expectations. The casting was spot on-even though I had doubts at first, the performances felt genuine and convincing. Especially Hiccup and Astrid: I found myself reconnecting with them like it was the first time.

Visually, it's stunning. The world of Vikings and dragons feels totally believable. The direction respects the spirit of the original, while adding a more grounded and mature tone.

This isn't just a copy-it's a heartfelt experience that stands on its own.

I just got out of the early screening and I feel so happy. This live-action adaptation is honestly EVERYTHING a fan could hope for - true to the spirit, respectful of the story, and with every character treated with the care they deserve.

The flying scenes... wow! I felt the same excitement I did the first time I saw it. The landscapes are absolutely breathtaking, adding so much depth and magic to every moment. And the casting? Spot on. They've really nailed it - each actor feels like a natural fit for their character.

This is how a live-action should be done: with respect, heart, and a deep love for the original material. If you're a fan, go with confidence. It will move you.

I loved it.

I think one of the problems with this current live action era is how took the original material and go: "Yep we are not doing that" and proceed to torn the story apart, but this one tastes of love for the first movie and and don't take away the magic away.

I understand that some of the cast aren't carbon copies of their animated but overall the actors are fairly good and we get to see a little more of character building for some of the kids, like Snoutloud and Astrid.

Hiccup is great and awkward like he is supposed to be, Stoic is stubborn and strong-headed, is his way or the highway and Gerald Butler delivers. I mean come on he is Stoic!

This movie runs mostly as the original animation. Could be said, one of the most stunning live-action remake. Graphic cool, CGI cool (like animation dragons but upgraded a bit more real), landscape sooo cool, casting fine enough, music nice, plot same as origin but I saw some minor changes that don't affect the story. Flying scene very fantastic. For emotional, beginning to middle (for me) feels a bit neutral until toothless started flying scene cuz it was the same as animation, and mid to end was a bit intense, I saw they tried emotional act at final a bit more than original. Personally, I like to see a bit dark as origin with iconic music (not as animation's) however since this is children film, I can't blame on them. Anyway and overall, I really enjoyed the film as if I saw 1st original while I was young. It brought some nostalgia back. I'm looking forward to 2nd movie. Thank you, DreamWorks!