June 20, 2025 – I went to see this new live-action remake of the 2010 cartoon, because I liked the original and I am also a fan of 3D movies, and this one fits the bill on both accounts. It is being shown in 3D and the story is virtually identical to the original. In fact, an important cast member plays the same character in both movies.

That character is Stoick the Vast, leader of vikings of the dragon-plagued land of Berk, played in both films (and others) by Gerard Butler, first as a voice actor in the trilogy of animated Dragon movies. Now, he plays the same character in the flesh. Most of the rest of the cast is new.

The central character, Hiccup, Stoick's son, is played by Mason Thames (“The Black Phone”). Other main characters are Astrid (played by Nico Parker of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”) and Gobber (Nick Frost of “The World's End”).

Hiccup is a big disappointment to his father, despite his inventiveness and creativity, because of his sleight stature and his lack of fierceness. He works in obscurity as Gobber's assistant in a blacksmith shop, forging weapons he never gets to use. He wants to kill dragons and make his father proud, but just that doesn't seem to be his true nature.

Gobber, who knows Hiccup well, finally convinces Stoic to allow Hiccup to start his training to be a dragon killer. Gobber knows how badly Hiccup wants to please his father. However, in the meantime, Hiccup has secretly captured a dragon and has become friends with it, so he no longer wants to kill dragons, but cannot back out of the training. He uses his inside knowledge of dragons, learned from his dragon he calls Toothless, to become as master of the training arena.

Hiccup uses his creativity and inventiveness to repair the damage he did to his dragon, he calls Toothless, when he captured it. He becomes a dragon rider, making thrilling journeys through the air with Toothless. Eventually, Astrid finds out about his secret, but Hiccup and Toothless convince her not to tell the other Vikings about the fact that dragons are not evil at all. Dragons can become allies of the Vikings against a greater evil.

The movie uses the latest in computer-generated animation to make the dragons look real. There are times when I could see the intersection of motion capture and animation with live action, but it works well for the most part. The characters are interesting and the acting is good. I consider this to be the equivalent of the original movie. It accomplishes what it sets out to do, that is, it tells the same story. This movie rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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