- Location: Silver Spring Majestic 20
- Fact #1: Vikings are cool. Fact #2: Dragons are cool. Does it therefore follow that Vikings vs. Dragons is totally awesome? While the mathematical details are unspecified (is coolness additive or multiplicative?), this is the the basic logic at the foundation of Dreamworks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon. Fortunately, the film justifies this approach with unbridled enthusiasm by spinning tales of dragons that belch lightning one minute and roll over like cute little puppies the next. Of course, the Vikings are initially only familiar with the first, more lethal variety of dragon behavior since the two groups have been at war for as long as anyone can remember. Enter a scrawny young Viking named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel).
- To say that Hiccup is one-of-a-kind is precisely correct. He is the only member of his testosterone-infused clan who is disinclined to kill dragons and also, not coincidentally, one of the few who still has all of his limbs intact. Instead, Hiccup has invented an amusingly humane method of snaring dragons that, much to his surprise, successfully captures the rarest member of the dragon bestiary: the elusive Night Fury. But trapping a dragon and killing a dragon are two very different things. Though any other Viking would have jumped at the chance to slay this monster, Hiccup frees him instead, playfully nicknaming him "Toothless" (which is, needless to say, a misnomer). Now the two just need to build up some trust.
- While the plot predictably has Vikings and dragons forming an alliance by the film's end, it is quickly apparent which is the more interesting species. Whereas the Vikings only come in two flavors, macho and Hiccup, the dragons swoop around with a astounding variety of appearances and personalities. You can almost imagine the excited ten-year-old brainstorming session that resulted in the dragon that is itself on fire or the one that can chop down trees with its razor-sharp head. Toothless, too, is far more captivating than his human counterpart, with a face that is simple but expressive and a beautiful fluidity to his movements. One further advantage the dragons have over some secondary characters I could mention is that they are pleasantly taciturn. The film's voice casting and dialogue are almost uniformly bad (Vikings actually were not Scottish), making the silent winged lizards shine in comparison. Fortunately, the dragons are entertaining enough that How to Train Your Dragon's missteps hardly run the film into the ground. Rather, they serve as a reminder of the difference between a pretty good animated film and a great one.
- The only notable voice actors are Craig Ferguson and maybe Gerard Butler. The rest of them are people that only kids these days would recognize.
- I should add that I saw this in 3D. The fact that I didn't mention that one way or the other in the review probably says it all.
