How to Train Your Dragon Movie Review: This live-action remake soars visually but plays it too safe

How To Train Your Dragon

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ opens in a way that feels familiar and comforting. It doesn’t try to change the story, update the characters, or force a modern spin on its heartfelt coming-of-age theme.

Same story, sharper edges

It simply gives the 2010 animated original a live-action coat of paint—polished, expensive, and resolutely loyal. Directed by Dean DeBlois once again, this version sticks so closely to the source that you can almost recite the beats in your head. Where the film does shift is in tone and texture. The lush animation of the original has been replaced by misty landscapes, textured costumes, and dragons that snarl, blink, and breathe fire like they’ve been pulled straight from a high-end fantasy game. Mason Thames steps into Hiccup’s boots with a gentle likability that works for the role. He doesn’t overplay the awkwardness, which is refreshing. Gerard Butler returns as Stoick, the grizzled father whose idea of parenting is to turn his son into a warrior, and this time, there’s a weariness in his eyes that makes their father-son friction feel a little sadder.

Toothless still holds the screen
Toothless, of course, is the real star. The animators have pulled off something quietly impressive: a CGI creature that manages to retain every ounce of his original charm.

There’s intelligence in his eyes, mischief in his movements, and genuine emotion in his silences. The relationship between him and Hiccup—built through trust, curiosity, and a lot of mutual staring—is still the heart of the story, and it remains remarkably affecting.

When they take to the skies, the film occasionally recaptures the sense of wonder that made the original soar. Occasionally. And that’s where the remake hits its ceiling. The original felt weightless—literally and emotionally. The animated version made the skies feel endless and full of wonder. Here, even with impressive CGI and well-executed aerial sequences, everything feels heavier and more grounded.

Earnest but unambitious
The script sticks so close to the 2010 version that you can’t help but question the point of the exercise. Sure, there are a few extended sequences—slightly more time with Astrid (Nico Parker, solid but underutilized) and a deeper peek into the dragon training academy—but they don’t fundamentally change the story or elevate the stakes.

Nick Frost brings a few chuckles as Gobber, but even the humour here feels more restrained and muted. It’s as if the film is afraid to let go of its blueprint for even a moment. The emotional beats land where they’re supposed to. This version, for all its sincerity, rarely dares to add a fresh layer. It never missteps, but it never surprises either.

Polish over purpose
Visually, there’s no faulting the film. Framestore’s effects are sleek, the dragon designs are detailed, and the production design brings a rugged texture to Berk. But this realism comes at a cost. The clarity of animation has given way to murkier tones, darker shadows, and a more sombre mood. Perhaps the most telling thing is this: the remake’s most powerful moments are the same ones that worked 15 years ago.

The silences, the bond between boy and dragon, the final stand against inherited hate—they still move you. But you’re moved in exactly the same way you were last time. More than failure, it’s a missed opportunity.

A gentle rerun of a classic
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ is earnest, polished, and beautifully acted. It’s not a cash grab, nor is it a disaster. It’s a heartfelt tribute made by the same filmmaker who brought the original to life. But in trying to preserve the magic, it ends up sealing it in glass.

It gives you the same story with more pixels and fewer sparks. You leave the theatre with a smile, yes—but not quite with the sense of flight you once felt. Watch it for Toothless, for the heart it wears on its sleeve.

Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, and Gabriel Howell
Director: Dean DeBlois Rating: 3.5/5

(‘How to Train Your Dragon’ is running in theatres)