Dragon-Sized Fun

In a world where Vikings seek to slay dragons and live their lives barbarically and without fear, only one seems to differ from all the rest.

DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” is a fun-filled adventure with plenty of laughs and great excitement. Easily the most fun film in a while, it is more than worth watching.

Hiccup, the son of a Viking Chief (Jay Baruchel), does not have the heart or the courage to be a Viking, and therefore must capture a dragon in order to mark his passage into manhood and prove that he is worthy to enter the tribe.

This film is a fun-filled adventure that inspires many laughs, and boasts a terrific cast, including Gerard Butler as the Viking Chief Stoick, Craig Ferguson as Gobber and Amercia Ferrera as Astrid. However, things pick up the most when Hiccup finds a wounded dragon that he calls Toothless. Hiccup becomes attached to Toothless and trains him by fixing up his damaged wing as they eventually fly off together and become good friends.

The animation in this film is superb. There are plenty of visual effects that are completely stunning, leaving you quite impressed and a part of the action. Meanwhile, on the island of Berk, a group of 10 youths, including Hiccup of the Hooligan tribe, are led by Goober to perform their training operations, which deal with catching and fighting dragons. Those who are not able to catch and train a dragon are exiled from the tribe. Hiccup, known for being sloppy and prone to accidents, actually learns to be the best at slaying the dragons during training.

After all of Hiccup’s success during his training, he is crowned a Viking. After his dad Stoic finds out that he has been training with a dragon however, he quickly takes Toothless and brings him where he wanted to go all along, the Dragon Pit, where Stoick and the rest of the Vikings go to combat the queen of the dragons.

While Hiccup gathers the young troops and comes up with a plan, he appears to the battle scene well-prepared and makes his father proud.There’s plenty of joy to be had while watching this film because you feel like you are part of the never-ending adventure. The actors in the film do such a great job of voicing their characters that, over time, the audience will relate to them and suddenly be attached.

The message that this film delivers is that friendship is an important part of life no matter whom or what your friends are- even if they appear to be your enemy. When all is said and done, Vikings and dragons can make peace with one another and live on.