Wednesday, January 26, 2011

How to Train Your Dragon

This film follows Hiccup, a teen youth on the viking island of Berk.  Hiccup has never fit in to viking society and this is made even worse by being the son of the chief.  Hiccup wants nothing more then to be accepted by the rest of the vikings in the village, but every time he tries something disastrous happens.  Every viking in Berk knows from a young age that their primary purpose is to fight dragons.  Hiccup is no different and tries desperately to kill a dragon, not through brute force as the rest of the vikings do, but through ingenuity and though.  During a dragon raid on the village one night Hiccup manages to ensnare a Night Fury, the most feared of dragons.  When he tries to tell his father and the rest of the village of his accomplishment, none believe him.  After being escorted home by his father's best friend Gobber, Hiccup sneaks out a back door to go and find the dragon he brought down.  Just as Hiccup is about to give up on his search for the dragon he stumbles upon it.  Hiccup tries very hard to build up the courage and convince himself to kill the dragon but cannot.  Instead Hiccup sets the dragon free, who menaces Hiccup and then apparently flies away to freedom.  That evening Hiccup's father, after a conversation with Gobber puts him into dragon training before heading out to try and destroy the dragon's nest.  Hiccup is mocked by his classmates in dragon training and nearly killed by a dragon on his first day, Gobber as teacher saves Hiccup and tells the class that a dragon will always go for the kill.  Hiccup then goes out to where he freed the dragon he had downed and asks himself, "So why didn't you?"  The rest of the film follows Hiccup as he learns more and more about dragons, discovering that they are not the vicious monsters the rest of the village believes them to be.  The film culminates with Hiccup's father freeing the imprisoned dragon Hiccup has befriended and learned to ride.  Hiccup and his dragon then proceed to defeat the queen dragon on the dragon's island, apparently sacrificing their lives in order to spare the others who came to the island to attack the nest.  Back home in Berk, Hiccup wakes up in his own home after some nudging from his dragon.  Hiccup is surprised to see the dragon in his own home and makes his way outside where the village has embraced dragons as pets. Hiccup's father too has embraced dragons as more then just a menace.

This film is truly great, the story is excellently written, the voice talent is superb, and the score is masterful.  I cannot praise this film enough for the originality and the flow.  The story quickly establishes itself and flows seamlessly from beginning to end.  I highly recommend this film both to be seen and purchased to own, it is well worth the price you pay for it no matter what price you get it for.

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