Sunday, March 21, 2010

Review: How To Train Your Dragon

Como entrenar a tu Dragon - 00092Image by Daniel Semper via Flickr
Movies don't have to be terribly original to pack a serious punch. Dreamworks Animation's How To Train Your Dragon is essentially the coming-of-age love story of Happy Feet, only it's told against a backdrop of dragons and vikings instead of penguins. It's also an effective story, told with lots of heart, and endowed with breathtaking visuals. It's a very effective mix, and the movie has also been marketed brilliantly with cunningly crafted trailers shown in all the right venues. This, my friends, will be a deservedly big hit.

It's not all wine and roses, of course. The "vikings" speak Scottish against a Celtic bagpipe soundtrack, which is somewhat offensive to true Scandinavians like myself. Call 'em Highlanders and I'd be happier. Nobody else will care a whit, of course. Dragon benefits greatly from a full-on 3-D treatment, but is butting up against Alice In Wonderland at the opening and Clash Of the Titans at the tail end. That unfortunate squeeze cuts down on this movie's income potential, just as Dragon curtails Alice's profits.

Still, this should be a franchise tentpole in the mold of Shrek for Dreamworks. How To Train Your Dragon is based on a bestselling book which is followed by a whole series of sequels, providing rich soil for the creative team. And I really wouldn't mind seeing more of these bewitching dragons, even if I have to put up with a horde of Scottish vikings.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Lose the celtic-viking confusion and you'd get a clean 5.

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