How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Released June 13, 2025

Written and Directed by Dean DeBlois

* No Spoilers *

Like most live-action remakes, the best parts of the How to Train Your Dragon remake are ripped directly from the animated original, but this surprisingly keeps a decent amount of the original’s charm. It’s a fun novelty that I’ll enjoy for what it is once, but I’ll always return to the classic animated movie if I want to experience this story again. Comparison is inevitable because, realistically, we didn’t need this retelling…especially not so soon.

Technically speaking, this is a mixed bag. The music is as bombastic and inspiring as ever, but it lacks some of the whimsy and spirit of the original. The sound design is great, but the mix feels a bit off, missing the punch you expect from an epic adventure story.

Cinematography is hit or miss. Some of the wide flying shots are stunning, but others scenes lack the scale or scope of a theatrical experience, feeling more like a TV series. The translation to live action left night or low light shots looking too desaturated and dull. Similarly, much of the framing, especially during The Trial of Flame, feels uninspired and flat.

That said, I am obsessed with the dragon designs. They strke a perfect balance between absurd cartoonish anatomy and something that felt like a terrifying living creature, especially the Nightmare when it is engulfed in flames. Toothless is a very faithful to the original, with all of the catlike mannerisms and powerful emotion conveyed in his eyes. Some of the props and armour look a bit like Halloween costumes and rather than aiming for realism, they went for a blend of cartoonish and grounded, leaving many of the large metal or stone weapons feeling like they had no weight to them.

The casting is fantastic and the acting is good, with Gerard Butler’s (Den of Thieves 2) performance as a clear standout, and more emotionally impactful than I expected. Mason Thames (The Black Phone) looks exactly like Hiccup but fails to capture the self-deprecating, sarcastic charm Jay Baruchel brought to the role. Similarly, Nico Parker’s (The Last of Us) Astrid is a bit more hardened and less endearing than her animated counterpart. I also felt far less attached to any of the other dragon riders in this version, even if some of them look like a perfect visual match. Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) is great as a more grounded take on Gobber, though I still prefer Craig Ferguson.

Animation lends itself so well to conveying emotion, characters can emote in ways simply not possible with a real human face. Subtle gestures from Toothless or Hiccup sold their connection far better than what’s presented here. I guess fans of the original might just fill in those blanks with their memories, but this adaptation doesn’t stand on its own nor could it. It will always be in the shadow of the far superior original.

Not as gratuitous or soulless as some of Disney’s live-action remakes, How to Train Your Dragon clearly delivers a faithful and lovingly crafted celebration of this beloved story. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to justify its existence. We didn’t need a live-action remake, and the world wouldn’t have lost much if this never got made. Unless you’re a diehard fan who wants to see this story in any form, I’d skip it and stick with the original.

6.5/10 – Still doesn’t change my mind on how useless these adaptations are, but shows they can capture more of the magic than others have.

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