How to Train Your Dragon

Film: How to Train Your Dragon
Cast: Voice of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera
Direction: Dean BeBlois and Chris Sanders
Duration: 1 hour 38 minutes
Critic's Rating: 3.5 stars



Synopsis : Young Hiccup has his destiny laid out before him. Son of a Viking hero, he must spend his life slaying dragons like his ancestors. But how does he do it when one of the most dangerous dragons becomes his devoted pet? Does he really manage to go against his destiny and end up changing the job profile of the entire village....

Movie Review : Grab your kids. Grab your popcorn. Grab your 3D glares and go fall in love with Toothless, the dangerous dragon who ends up as one of the most adorable animated creatures after the Kung Fu Panda. And yes, while you soar in the sky with him, in full 3D splendour, ducking for his tale swishes and his toothless darts, do send out some salutations for teen hero Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), who not only speaks some of the smartest lines in recent animation cinema, he also endears himself to you with his brand of Gandhigiri.

They call him Hiccup Horrendous Haddock 111, a scrawny teen who is languishing with low self-esteem because his hunky Viking dad (Gerard Butler) thinks he is a complete let down to his family's legacy of slaying ferocious dragons. Even the girls don't look at him because a) he looks like a fish bone and b) he's never de-capitated a dragon, unlike them. Now this specially hurts since he has a crush on the balsy Astrid (America Ferrera) who doesn't bat an eyelid before swinging her axe on the beasts. Alas! Astrid simply looks through him...until she discovers there's something amiss with Hiccup and his secret getaways. She follows him one night, only to discover he's sharing fish with a Night Rider, one of the most dangerous species of dragons. What's more, he's going for joy rides astride the supposedly killer creature and sharing a strange bonhomie with him.

Turns out, Hiccup has a whole new discovery....Dragons aren't dangerous; they are just scared; hence they need not be killed. One look at the grinning Toothless and you'll know how right he is! A witty screenplay, vibrant animation, inspired voice-overs and a pacifist message: How To Train Your Dragon is weekend family fun fare.