The number of remakes and decades-late sequels released in recent years suggests that movie creators are living in their nostalgia era. And, to be honest, I am all here for it. I loved the movies then, and now I get to love them again in a fresh light. However, not everyone shares my positive outlook on these remakes, especially when it comes to live-action remakes of animated films. Many, including GON’s johndunkerley, feel that the live-action remakes are bothersome “because they are the fundamental opposite of animation.”
But I have to disagree. Animation is just one creative way to express a story, and live-action is a different, yet equally creative way to convey a story. And the proof of that can be seen in the live-action remake of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon. It was the same story, but the audience was able to see it through a fresh lens—to experience it in a different way. Cue the ‘same same, but different’ TikTok audio clip.
If they had attempted to make a live-action movie about dragons a decade or two ago, I might have been worried about the realism factor when it came to visual effects, but obviously, in 2025, that was not an issue. I completely believed that Mason Thames was riding on the back of an adorably toothless dragon. It was so real that I left the movie with a secret feeling of disappointment, realizing I would never get to ride a dragon around towering, oceanside cliffs. (But then again, a wise person once said, ‘Never say never.’)
For me, it was about more than the visuals. Although this movie was a re-adaption of the animated version, and critics have claimed that there weren’t enough distinguishable differences between the two, I think that there were. The difference that I enjoyed most was the dynamics and banter between the main character, Hiccup, and his father, Stoick. I won’t lie, my childhood crush on Gerard Butler(Stoick) might make me a bit biased on the subject, but I think some will agree that the father-son interactions in this movie were on point. They were funny, awkward, yet completely believable all at the same time, and it just made the characters lovable in a way that the animated film couldn’t. Because yes, animated films can do things that live-action cannot, but the reverse could also be said. The advantage that live-action films have is that we get to see the chemistry between characters, we can see the authenticity behind it, and that is what makes the film ‘good’ because it is believable. Which is what we are all there for in the first place, right? To find peace in a different world or story? Having a believable portrayal of that helps.
It wasn’t just the father-son dynamic that was done well…it was the acting and the astonishingly accurate portrayal of literally all of the characters. Somehow, despite the fact that this was a live-action remake of a movie that included several characters with very abnormal body proportions, they managed to make it very clear who every character was to those who had seen the original. I really liked that there was a heavier focus on voice and acting to show the audience who the character was, rather than just attempting to make them look exactly like their character. I mean, it’s pretty rare to find an actor who fits a role perfectly, personality-wise and looks-wise (obviously, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is the exception to that rule…I mean, he is Iron Man.)
So, all in all, my non-expert, ‘no method to my madness’ rating, based almost entirely on how the film made me feel, would be an 8/10. Which, upon further research, isn’t too far off from the critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating at 76% and IMDb at 7.9/10.
It’s the same feel-good movie it was before, with a bit more heart, and a ton of realistic-looking dragons(let’s not forget Gerard Butler). What’s not to love?
