Visitors Review

(2012-05-25 21:19)

Great movie for all ages

This review is from: How to Train Your Dragon (DVD) This was a great movie. It is uplifting and gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end. It's hard now days to find an entertaining movie that is clean and entertaining, but this one fits the bill. Chop full of action, it keeps the viewer's attention throughout, yet delivers several wonderful messages such as "You can't judge a book by its cover." I would highly recommend this movie for all ages, kids to adults.

(2012-05-25 11:51)

One of the best hear warming films of the year

When I first went to go see How to Train your Dragon in theaters, I was left speechless and didn't even realize I was the last one left sitting when I finally broke out of the trance and looked around!Definitely one of the best films of the year, and my personal favorite movie of all time! Whether your a child or an adult, you will love this movie- guaranteed!

jgregg42 (2012-05-25 13:54)

Can Man and Dragon Peacefully coexist?

"How to Train your Dragon" is the latest digital animation movie fromDreamWorks Animation studios (the same studio that produced the Shrekmovies, "Kung Fu Panda," and "Bee Movie"). The movie starts off withthe narration of the main character, Hiccup (his name is explained inthe movie), voiced by Jay Baruchel, describing his Viking hometown andthe problems they have with dragons. The audience is thrust into anelaborate action sequence of dragons attacking Hiccup's village. Thisopening scene does justice to the advancements in digital animation andexplores some inventive camera shots of the action and its characters.Young Hiccup wants to be a dragon fighter and have the chance to killhis first dragon. Why does he want to kill a dragon? It means he willbe respected among his fellow Vikings. He has one big size issuethough, considering the average Viking is four times his size, no onetakes him seriously. Villagers ridicule his size often. He resorts tousing his intelligence to solve his problems (it seems that for such ayoung mind he knows quite a bit about aerodynamic engineering). One ofhis inventions takes down a dreaded night fury dragon. Yet no onebelieves Hiccup is worthy of being a dragon slayer.The movie moves along smoothly with more being revealed about Hiccupand his situation. Turns out the head of village is also his dad,Stoick, voiced by Gerard Butler. Here is the setup of the traditionalkids' movie story line where the child tries to prove himself to hisfather and/or mother. And yes, we have seen it before and the story ispretty formulaic, but this story does have emotion and well-writtendialogue to keep the audience's interest.Hiccup ventures into the woods to find and slay the dragon he had takendown earlier only to find that he cannot kill the dragon. He eventuallybefriends the beast and learns the traits of the dragon species. Thereis a humorous and touching development between the boy and the dragon.Toothless (that's Hiccup's name for the new friend) has mood swingsfrom a Clint Eastwood toughness to a Bambie-like curiosity andfriendliness. The directors, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (both of"Mulan" and "Lilo and Stitch" fame), put it together to make thisfriendship work so it doesn't come off too cheesy.Stoick eventually enrolls Hiccup into a dragon slaying class in thevillage. In the class, fellow village adolescents learn the properViking way to kill different varieties of dragons. What develops is theconflict within Hiccup – should he kill the dragons or should hebefriend them? The imagery of the movie is outstanding. The artdirectors took their time and added the details in the backgroundshots. The water and the fire caught my attention because thoseelements looked real. I also noticed the hair of the characters (I knowI am nitpicking, but in a good way). Considering the era and primitiveways of the Vikings, I could see that their hair was chopped off with aknife. The villagers obviously didn't have a village barber shop. Theysimply cut their hair with what was available to them. It's a smalldetail I know, but little things like that made the movie feelrealistic.Should you see this movie? Yes, it's a good kid's movie with only a fewhidden adult jokes. The action will keep it together and hold yourinterest until the end. The kids will like the different varieties ofdragons and most likely relate to one of the adolescent characters. Toparaphrase my 10-year-old daughter — it is a good family story that isfunny and yet scary at times (she was referring to the actionsequences, but in a good way). One more thing, I saw the movie in 2Dand I still feel it was great. Try seeing it in its 3D format; italmost has to be better.

Elaine Wu (2012-05-25 02:23)

Amazing film - original and awing

This is one of the only films that features dragons and humans workingalongside each other - and it's animated! What else can you ask for?The story starts off with a short narrative from the main character,Hiccup (what an interesting name), who introduces the setting quiteclearly and obviously. Good. I don't like to be confused with where I'mgoing with a movie. There are many nice special effects and beautiful artwork - the humansare realistic enough and the dragons look very original. Storydevelopment is well-paced and seems to follow through with a climax andconclusion. The ending was satisfying. I mean, it wasn't as unrealisticas to have everybody come out alive and jumping around, but it wasn'tso tragic that all the babies in the theatre would start crying. And,it wrapped up nicely without leaving any obvious gaps. Characters were stereotypical and easy to understand. I wished therewas more character development of the sidekick kids such as Astrid andSnoutlout. It would have been interesting to know a bit more aboutthem. I also wish there was a story behind Hiccup's mother.Music was nice, charming and sound effects really hit the spot. Thedragon noises were realistic, and Toothless' was so adorable!My favourite part of the movie was the relationship between Hiccup andToothless. When I saw that dragon on posters and in trailers, I washorrified to see that its face was non-scary and even a little bitsalamander-like. However Toothless is actually very very adorable andcute! I like the emphasis on themes such as friendship among species,father to son relationships, justice, being different, and many others.Overall, this movie will thrill both the young and the old alike. Inaddition, How to Train Your Dragon is an excellent movie for people whoare looking for a good dragon-themed movie! Yay! (No more vampires!)9.5/10

(2012-05-24 07:55)

Best movie in a LONG time

I had hesitations about this movie, so we decided to rent it first. We have never watched a movie back to back so many times, it was that good. I'm sure we played it at least 8 times in the first three days we had it. The humor is quick and on many levels. I worried that it would be too scary for my 4 and 5 yr old (girls), but they only got worried right at the beginning. Each time we watched it, we'd find new humor and still laugh at the old. Actually laugh. Right out loud. I'm sending it back today - every one is sad, but it will give us a break and I'll order this one for Christmas.

(2012-05-23 18:35)

Great movie

This review is from: How to Train Your Dragon (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Dragon Double Pack) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is sure to be a classic. It has a good mix of action, adventure, comedy, and age appropriate romance. However, I would not recommend it for very young children as they might find a few scenes to scary.

Jackpollins (2012-05-23 17:52)

A visual masterpiece as well as a great film all around

How To Train Your Dragon is the incredibly told story of Hiccup (JayBaruchel), a boy who lives in a world of vikings even though he himselfdoes not want to be a viking. He one day finds a dragon named Toothlessand realizes that dragons have been falsely accused of being monsters.The film's visuals begin to pick up from then on. The dragons arebeautifully drawn, the characters are beautifully drawn, and the landis even beautifully drawn. The director's atmospheric film making addsto the fun as the director paints an accurate picture of what Hiccup'sworld would look like. Also, when it comes to voice acting, this is thefilm to go to. Baruchel's nasally, wimpy voice adds to his character.This can also be said about the voices of TJ Miller, Kristen Wiig,Gerald Butler, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, America Ferrera,and Craig Ferguson. For anyone searching for a good time, How To TrainYour Dragon is for you. Also, for anyone looking for the reason of whywe go to the movies, this film is also for you. This is the perfectfilm for parents to take their kids to, because both the parents andkids alike will thoroughly enjoy the film, like I did.

theterminateriscoming (2012-05-22 21:55)

What can I say, except awesome.

I just returned form viewing HTTYD on the big screen, in 3-D, and Imust say that I was very impressed. Very, very impressed. Loosely basedon a series of books by the same name HTTYD comes at you form thebeginning and never lets up. Never a dull moment, never a wasted shotor scene the story progresses quickly but not so quick that you getlost. HTTYD harks at the magnificent novel, Eragon which was butcheredinto a film with the same name. Even if your not a huge dragon/fantasyfan you will be drawn into a story of a boy who fails at everythingthat is expected of him and knows it, a dragon who acts more like agiant cat, an over ambitious girl, and village full of steel-wieldingvikings. The film is also hilarious and filled with one liners thathave me laughing even now. The story is simple: a village of stubbornvikings battle dragons to survive until a misfit boy learns secret thatcould change everything. There are also heart felt moments, hilariousmoments and the classic "OH NO!" and "OH YEA!" moments that are theback bone of any classic movie. This movie is, in some ways like theIncredibles but also in a class of its own. There are some moments thatmight scare younger viewers, a far amount of violence and some sexualreferences. I saw it with my family all seven of us, an age range form45 to 6 and every one loved the movie. So, go see it on the big screen! Don't wait for DVD and BR release GONOW you won't regret it! If you can, pay the extra cash and see it in3-D it worth it! This is the best movie of 2010 so far. GO NOW!

mechachan15 (2012-05-21 23:43)

+You won't regret seeing this one+ ^^

Wooh, well I just got back from seeing "How to Train Your Dragon" intheatres. I won't make this a very long review 'cause I don't want tobore you people to death with my blabberings.Plot: Very decent. A nice detour from the usual "follow yourheart/destiny/calling" sort of films. This time the plot is a littlemore heart-felt than that. It revolves around the relationship of theprotagonist and his father.Music: Honestly, I was too engrossed in the plot to pay much attentionto the music..but from what I remember, it was excellent :) Cons: therewere a few cliché's in the movie..but that's to be expected. The moviealso did not have too many "hilarious" moments. A few laughs werehad..but this is more of a drama than a comedy.Overall impression: This movie was quite satisfying. After going to see"Alice in Wonderland" in theatres, I was a little skeptical of going tosee this one. It surprised me though..it threw things at me that Iwasn't expecting.Recommended to: I would say..pretty much any kid is going to like thismovie, unless they frighten really easily. Older kids and adults mayhave trouble connecting with this movie, but since I like children'smovies, I liked it fine( I'm 19 yrs old).This movie was funny, touching, suspenseful, and action packed. Go seeit while it's still in theatres! I didn't go to it in 3D, but theregular seemed great even without the 3D. So, if you're on a tighterbudget, don't bother with the 3D showing.

dwf801 (2012-05-21 06:50)

Best Animated Movie of 2010

Anybody who says they're too old to watch an animated movie needs toget their head out of their ass. The animation creates endless amountsof possibilities, and makes the movie so stunning that we areimmediately drawn into their world. But it can also create stories thatlive-action movies can't. How could you make Toy Story with people? Puta cowboy hat on Tom Hanks and put wings and a helmet on Tim Allen? Idon't think so. How to Train Your Dragon is another movie that couldonly be made through the magic of animation. It has heart,intelligence, and humor that some live-action movies could only dreamof.Here is the plot summary from IMDb.com: A hapless young Viking whoaspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragonhimself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.That's the plot, but this isn't a movie about plot-it is about therelationship between a young boy and his dragon. If you've ever had adog or a cat that you were close to, then this will definitely remindyou of it. Like when he scratches the dragon's chin and it falls to theground in ecstasy; when the kid shines a light on the ground and thedragon tries to catch it; or when the dragon brings a dead fish for theboy to eat. They have the best kid-pet friendship since My Dog Skip.I would very much recommend this film to anybody. The kids will like itfor its cool animation, light comedy, and charming story; but an adultwill like it because it is smart, deep, emotional, and very funny. Ithas some very subtle dirty moments, and I'm pretty sure I heard thef-word a couple of times. Just go see it, you definitely won't regretit.Check out my movie review site, where I review new, classic, andindependent movies. Recent posts include a countdown of the Top 10movies of 2010 so far, Top 10 fantasy movies of all time, and reviewsof Just Wright, Date Night, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.franklinreviews.blogspot.com

(2012-05-21 07:54)

Not as funny as the commercials

This review is from: How to Train Your Dragon (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) From the commercials I thought this was going to be a more humorous tale filled with slapstick comedy. Alas, most of the funny scenes were shown in the previews. The movie was entertaining, but nothing spectacular. I did not watch the movie in 3D.The story seems a tad mature and a bit violent for younger children. PG-13 would be excessive, but take some warning. Threatening to cut out a dragon's heart seems a bit much for the 6 year old crowd.

(2012-05-20 16:05)

flying high with your best friend !

This review is from: How to Train Your Dragon (DVD) What is not to love abut this highly entertaining movie. I loved it !It's a story about friendship, trust and courage. There was lots of humor and warmth, as well as spectacular computer animation wrapped up in this wonderful digital offering. I would recommend this move to everyone, children and adults alike.You cant go wrong with this pick !

(2012-05-19 13:14)

More kid friendly than Shrek yet as adult friendly as Shrek

My 2 year old loved this movie, as well as myself and my husband. It was as witty and funny as Shrek without all the adult rated insenuations if you catch my meaning. It's a great family movie for all ages especially if you were a fan of the Shrek series, I can't find anything to the negative for this movie actually.

rooee (2012-05-19 04:16)

Toothless

Rubbish title. Let's just get that out the way right now. It soundslike a working title that no one ever bothered changing.Dreamworks Animation Studio hardly provide intellectual competition forPixar, but with the Shrek and Madagascar franchises, they certainlygive kids a lot of what they want. With its comparatively sullen huesand a largely bodily function-free range of jokes, How to Train YourDragon is likely to appeal to slightly older children. Not teenagers,but the bright brand of tweens who'll drool over the scene in which ourbumbling hero, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), scans through a Book of Dragons,which acts like a kind of Dark Age movie merchandise catalogue.There's nothing drastically wrong with re-imagining the Vikings asvictims defending their villages. But perhaps the film's closingpacifist sentiment comes across as a little disingenuous, given howmuch fun we've had watching arena battles and hundred-foot reptilestear down mountains. I mean, after 90 minutes of rucking, will a childreally want to put aside their plastic axe? Heavens no (or, indeed,Valhalla no) – he'll collect the toys, with their meticulously-mouldedbeards and scales, and play Dragon Massacre at Viking Village.But an enjoyable adventure nonetheless. The cast is excellent, once youget over the fact that the 28 year-old Baruchel sounds exactly what heis, which is fifteen years too old. And the 3D is dynamic and arrestingwithout being distractingly self-referential.

GitanillaOZ (2012-05-18 04:19)

More than you can initially expect

I must confess that, initially, I wasn't that attracted to this movie,but after watching it I wonder why I wasn't! This is the story ofHiccup, a young uncool spaghetti-thin Viking guy, his toothlessmysterious dragon, and their relationship and adventures.This movie is more than 3D animation and special effects. It isentertaining, funny and delicious to watch. The script is robust andoriginal without being cheesy, the emotional drawing of the charactersis powerful, the animation and color are great and very detailed (I wasmesmerized by how real the hair of Hiccup looked and the wonderfuldesign of the dragons), the action scenes are magic and marvelous (onefeels that is really flying and in the spot, the scenes of training andlearning truly delicious.The humor is not as witty and naughty as in the Pixar movies, but thisis a funny movie without being simplistic, and the viewer laughs andsmiles easily, almost without wanting to.I loved the Scottish accent of the dwellers of the Viking village, butI was shocked by the broad American accent of Hiccup and other kids intown. I mean, the fact that they are younger and different doesn't turna broad Scottish into an American accent by magic. A softer Scottishaccent could have been better and more credible. But this is truly mebeing picky.I loved the movie. When the movie ended I wanted more, as I was in lovewith Hiccup and Toothless!

moviewizguy (2012-05-17 22:36)

A Must See in 3D!

Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and basedon the book by Cressida Cowell, the film tells the story of Hiccup, aViking teenager who doesn't exactly fit in with his tribe'slongstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world isturned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he andhis fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point ofview.Right off the bat, I have to say HTTYD is the first great movie of2010, and it deserves the title rightfully so, despite of having ahorrible and terribly inaccurate marketing campaign. Even a Pixarcomparison wouldn't be a wrong thing to say. HTTYD is what allstorytelling is about and then some. It's one of very few movies, withAVATAR, to use the 3D in such an amazing fashion to enhance the overallmovie experience. In fact, not seeing this in 3D would be like having aBLT sandwich without the bacon, lettuce, AND tomatoes! It's not one ofthose films where the film was converted to 3D in hopes of getting morerevenue from the consumers (I'm looking at you, CLASH OF THE TITANS andcountless others!).Of all the Pixar films this can be compared to, WALL-E seems to be themost reasonable because of a character that does not say a singledialogue: Toothless. Toothless is one of those rare characters you seein films where you can understand his emotions and overall characterjust by his actions alone, and that's a pretty difficult thing to pulloff, if I must say so myself. I also loved the father-son relationshipexplored in this film, which is very similar to that from CLOUDY WITH ACHANCE OF MEATBALLS. The plot is pretty easy to understand but it'svery complex underneath with the conflicting attitudes from thecharacters and the moral ambiguity, much like AVATAR.The film also has a wondrously, appealing visual style. There are somemoments in the film where the images placed on the screen are soemotionally resonate and brilliantly perfect that they teared me up.The directors, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, seem to know whatthey're doing. The characters are also fantastic because they areauthentic and very real. Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and CraigFerguson impressed me the most. My favorite character is Toothless, whois cute and charming. Let's not forget about the action and comedicside of the film.Unlike most Dreamworks Animation picture, HTTYD does not rely on popculture reference and toilet humor, which automatically puts the filmon the heap of the group, right? The action sequences are also welldone and visually stunning. On top of every positive thing I have tosay about the film, I must not forget the unforgettable soundtrack,composed by the great John Powell. The score is not used as a backdropbut as an enhancer to heighten almost every scene. In fact, there is onflight sequence where the 3D technology and Powell's score mixed sowell that the hairs on my neck stood up.If there is one flaw the film has, it's the predictability, but Ireally don't count that as a flaw if a film executes it really well.Overall, HTTYD is a surprising delight filled with whimsical action,authentic characters, and near-brilliant storytelling, not to mentionrendering the 3D technology to bloody awesome use. It's going to be oneof the best films of this year. That's how confident I am. Watch thismovie NOW.

dutchthea (2012-05-16 18:24)

lovely just lovely

Meet Hickup, a hapless young viking ( voiced by Jay Baruchel) he livesin an isolated village where the pests happen to be dragons! Hickup isnot a strong and tough young viking. No he's more of a thinker albeit afairly clumsy one! His father is the village chief and he's notparticularly proud of his hapless son who is not the strong and fieryson he imagined he'd have! One day he manages to shoot down a dragonthough. But there are no witnesses so nobody believes him. The nextmorning Hickup finds the dragon. He wants to kill him but he can't. Hedecides to help the dragon who cannot fly properly anymore because ofHickup. A difficult but in the end touching friendship develops. With agreat story and fantastic animation, characters which are easy torelate to and a good portion of humor, this is certainly one of themost rewarding animation movies I watched in recent years. Highlyrecommended, though not for small kids!

(2012-05-16 00:41)

"How To Train Your Dragon" is brilliant!

"How To Train Your Dragon" is brilliant! This is how the story goes: A Viking teenager named Hiccup lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen's smarts and offbeat sense of humor don't sit too well with his tribe or its chief... who just happens to be Hiccup's father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup's one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.The voice cast led by Jay Baruchel (as Hiccup) & Gerard Butler (as Stoick) is excellent! The directing by Chris Sanders (he also did the stories to "Beauty And The Beast" (1991), "Aladdin" (1992) & "The Lion King" (1994, also did the production design) & Dean DeBlois (both of them also wrote & directed "Lilo & Stitch" (2002) is brilliant! The screenplay (based on the novel by Cressida Cowell) by Sanders, DeBlois & William Davies (who also did the story & screenplay to "Twins" (1988) & the screenplay to "Flushed Away" (2006) is brilliant!The music by John Powell (who also did the music, recently to "Green Zone" (2010), "Knight & Day" (2010) & the upcoming "Fair Game" (2010), he also doing the music to the upcoming "Rio" (2011) is brilliant! The film editing by Maryann Brandon (who also did the film editing to "Mission: Impossible III" (2006), "Star Trek" (2009), the upcoming "Gulliver's Travels" (2010) & "Super 8" (2011) & Darren T. Holmes (who also did the film editing to "The Iron Giant" (1999), "Lilo & Stitch" & "Ratatouille" (2007) is excellent! The production design by Kathy Altieri (who also did the production design to "Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron" (2002), "Over The Hedge" (2006), she also did the art direction to "The Prince Of Egypt" (1998) is brilliant! The art direction by Pierre-Olivier Vincent (who also did the art direction to "Flushed Away") is brilliant!This is a fun and entertaining animated film that keeps you entertained and amazed. This is a well-made and well-crafted film that is different and interesting than most animated films out there. This is one of the best efforts for Dreamworks, outside of the Shrek movies, ever. This is also one of the best films of the year.

nama chakravorty (2012-05-15 22:41)

Average...

'How To Train Your Dragon' is an average fare. Though most of thepeople loved it and made a super-hit , I personally believe, thisanimation flick lacks a solid script.'How To Train Your Dragon' is set in a mythical Viking world where ayoung Viking teenager aspires to follow his tribe's tradition ofbecoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, andwith his chance at finally gaining the tribe's acceptance, he findsthat he no longer has the desire to kill it.The idea is interesting, and the animation is heavenly. Where thisflick falters, is it's writing, which is too predictable after a point.The final 40-minutes are been-there-seen-that, done-with-it stuff. Ithad the potential of becoming a terrific film, but for me, it came outas an average watch.The characters are wonderfully voiced. Jay Baruchel in the lead role,brings in various emotions to his character, while Gerard Butler,voices wonderfully as the lead Viking.On the whole, I have grown up watching Masterstorkes like 'The LionKing' and 'Beauty And The Beast' , I carry loads of expectations fromCartoon-Animated Cinema, and so why, I was disappointed by this one,thanks to the predictable script. Watch it if you must!

B (2012-05-15 10:22)

FANTASTIC!!! WORTH GOING TO SEE IN THE THEATER!!!

This visually captivating film wastes little time pulling you into it's heart and captivating the heck out of you with whimsical intrigue and exhilarating discovery. Not too heavy on the predictability, and with a ending battle scene that truly offers up the question of whether Toothless, the dragon, will pull through to the end. A very beautifully done movie. WORTH GOING TO SEE IN THE THEATER!!! So, so very worth it.