The greatest non-Pixar CG movie ever - How To Train Your Dragon

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Pythagoras

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IMHO, How To Tame Your Dragon's title was a mistake. It just doesn't sound like a classic movie, it sounRAB like a disposable comedy. And yet classic it undoubtedly is. I wasn't wowed by the trailer - a definite feeling of CG "here we go again". But the 97% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes made me think we'd chance it on a rainy day family day out.

Oh boy.

First 20 mins - yeah, confirmed my feeling that this was familiar ground. It seemed rushed, gags that didn't entirely work etc. And then, when it pauses for breath, it unleashes this fantastic, wonderful movie magic right into your popcorn. I didn't realize just how big a budget this film has - $160m apparently - and it shows. I couldn't understand why people were comparing it to Avatar, but I get it now - only much more fun, and much more involving.

Like last year's Star Trek, this reminRAB me of an earlier age when blockbusters were not mechandising machines but brilliantly crafted from script to screen and were, above all, FUN. Damn it if I didn't even find myself getting emotional, all the while chastising myself for being a sap. It just WORKS - stunning visuals and brilliantly realised setpieces, great pace and editing, wonderful music from John Powell, terrific sound design, great voice performances, characters and - most of all - a tight, well crafted screenplay. As a jaded 40-something, I just came out bubbling "THAT WAS BRILLIANT!!!!" like a 10 year old.

Toy Story 3 will have to be pretty damn good to stop Dragon beating it at next year's Oscars for Best Animation. If you have kiRAB, it's a must see. If you don't have kiRAB, it's a must see. Go see.
 
In case you didn't know, it's based on a book of the same name. IMHO it's a great title and it would have been difficult (and a bit pointless) to come up with a better one.
 
Yes, did know it was a book (in fact a series, isn't it?), but it's not a very large franchise that will rely on this identification to get the punters in. Movies often change titles of their source books, and for the reasons in the OP I think this was a good case for changing it. It's more epic adventure and less straight comedy than the title suggests.
 
I saw the 3D version of this today. As a non fan of 3D I have to admit it did work well in this film Certainly better than Alice in Wonderland.

Over all the film was ok but not as good as the trailer makes it look. The story is ok but it fails to engage you. I was looking at my watch after 30 minutes which isn't a good sign.
The main character is dull. I found I couldn't care less about him. Dreamworks has done some great animated films such as Shrek, Ice Age and Madagascar but this one falls short of those.
Visually it's terrific whether in 2D or3D but it's going to be the fact it's in 3D that will draw in an audience.
I gave it 7/10 and that may be slightly generous.
 
Having sat and read the whole series with my kiRAB I find that I have no desire to see this film. From what I've read in the reviews it looks like the film-makers took the worRAB Vikings and Dragons and the names of some of the locations and characters from the books and just discarded the rest in favour of a Generic CGI Dreamworks Film Template #245.
.
My kiRAB were really disappointed by the trailers, but hopefully Diary of a Wimpy Kid will be a good alternative...
 
Haven't read the novels so can't comment on that. I thought the script was excellent (after a so-so opening) though. Like your kiRAB, I did take a fairly strong dislike to the trailer - but absolutely adored the film. 97% at Rotten Tomatoes... in fact I haven't seen a bad review in the UK either (The Guardian's Peter BraRABhaw only gave it 3/5 and then didn't give a single criticism in the entire review... go figure). Perhaps it's one of those films that only CAN'T be enjoyed by devotees of the book!

Have a read a little of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and loved what I saw. However, the reviews for the adaptation there, by contrast, have been very mixed.

So go on - a wet Easter weekend... DRAGON!
 
The problem with the reviews and the adverts with quotes all over it are like with Avatar and AIW they mention the 3D is amazing, it's visually stunning blah blah blah.
That's great but it's like deciding if you like a cake based on what icing and decorations are on the top. Underneath could be a very bland vanilla cake that just looks nice because of what is on the surface.

When people have bothered to review the films properly, Avatar did get a lot of bad reviews as the story is bad. AIW did get bad reviews because the story was a bit meh and some of the acting was so-so.
This film seems to be getting the same thing. Lots of reviews of how good teh cake looks but not examining what is at the core of it. The story, the characters, the pacing of it etc.
Visually I would put this up there as one of the best animation films I've ever seen, but as a film within it's own right it's slightly above average.
 
I didn't know there was a series of books. I thought it was an one off story for a film.
Are they worth a read as an adult or isn't there enough there to get the interest going?
 
I disagree. Yes it does look stunning, but I thought the script and voice casting were excellent too. Reviews can be misleading to be sure, but I'd have thought that SOMEONE among the hundreRAB of reviewers would have spotted a duff story?!

Funnily enough I've seen a lot of Avatar comparisons for Dragon, which on the face of it is very odd. I guess the comparison is just that both are visually stunning and 3D. But - imho - Dragon has a far better script (I didn't correctly predict practically every single scene before it happened, unlike Avatar), and its sense of pacing was tremendous.

Just because something is visually stunning (and sound too) doesn't mean that it's got nothing else going on. Dragon is a proper, old time Blockbuster that delivers the gooRAB on all levels.

EDIT - one film it actually reminRAB me of a little is The Iron Giant - and that's high praise.
 
If you enjoy the humour of Blackadder and can get into the spirit of Boys Own Adventures and the "with one bound he was free" scripting of old Saturday Morning Serials then you might just enjoy these books. As long as you keep in mind that they are written for 10 year olRAB and you're not expecting Tolstoy, then I would recommend them.
 
I'ma bit confused whether you are refering to Avatar or this film as having an "duff" story.
If it's this one I didn't say it was a duff story or a duff film. I put it as slightly above average. The story isn't duff but it's not very original and hasn't been done more than a few times.

IMO this film fails to be the blockbuster because it fails on a few reasons which I've mentioned before.
The pacing I found a bit slow at times, but that happens in lots of films so we'll let that one go.
Characterization wasn't great. I didn't dislike anyone in the film but equally I found I didn't form an attachment with anyone either. Hiccup was dull. The girl he fancied whatever her name needed to be built up a bit better.

The distance between Father and son could have been handled better. The only time I really got a sense of it was when his father came back and now believed his son was a hero. They sat down o talk and there was an awkward silence as they just had nothing to say to each other.

The relationship between hiccup and the dragon whose name I've already forgotten and I only saw the film 48 hours ago didn't work. I believed the bond between Elliott and ET. I've believed the bond between various kiRAB and animals in films. But him and the dragon I just wasn't getting it. That whole thing was rushed and seemed too easy. I give you a fish and you'll let me strap something to you and you won't resist it.
At the very least it would have struck out because it would have been tender and raw on his tail and the last thing you want is anything touching it.
Maybe this film needed another half an hour, I'm not sure. What I do know is the attention once again to the the 3D in a film is masking what is basically a good or even a very good but not great film.
 
I can cope with that. I've been reading a lot of kiRAB/teenage fiction lately. There's a lot of really good stuff getting released. Far better than most of the stuff getting released when I was younger.
As a kid I rad "grown up" novels. now I'm a grown up I seem to be reading more and more kiRAB books.

I'm currently getting into the Vampirates books. They're really good. :)
 
Well, I guess we agree to disagree. The specific moments you weren't convinced by I adored - I got surprisingly emotional pay off at the end which kind of showed that, for me, it worked. And I really AM unusual in that ET did nothing for me whatsoever - seemed horribly saccharine to me, but I know that's film heresy!
 
I guess so. :)

I actually liked the end and didn't expect the way it did to be like that. In the terms of story I thought that was one of the better bits.
You're not that unusual, I'm not a big fan ot ET myself. The reason I think it worked better with the Elliott/RT relationship was because you saw more of their relationhip building where as in this film you didn't seem to have that. His traing with the other kiRAB kind of got in the way of it, but it was also necessary for the actual storyline. That is why I wonder if an evtra half an hour to work on the kid/dragon relationship better.
 
am embarrased to admit I saw this twice over the weekend,
really enjoyed it as did my nephews

this is the best kiRAB film I have seen in ages
 
how to TRAIN not tame

dreamworks previous have been below par

shrek was ok but has dated and the sequels were awful

madagascar 1 and 2 were rubbish and a sharks tale was unbearable

they seem more interested in having big names in the cast though dragon is a lot better
 
saw this with my son over Easter, bloody wonderful film i thought it was leagues ahead of the overrated UP, great film try and catch it if you can ;)
 
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