How To Train Your Dragon – What an empathetic Viking can teach us about fatherhood and masculinity

Film: How to Train Your Dragon

Age rating: PG

Runtime: 116 minutes

See this if you liked: How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Synopsis:

Hiccup lives on the Isle of Berk, a Viking island sworn to protect the world from dragons. Despite his best efforts, Hiccup is not a natural born dragon killer, much to the disappointment of his father. This all changes though when he manages to injure a Night Fury – the deadliest dragon of them all, a legend that no one has ever seen up close. Unable to kill it, Hiccup finds himself healing the dragon, Toothless, and ultimately earning their trust. But how will Hiccup convince the rest of the island that dragons are not the enemies and, most importantly of all, his Dad, the chief?

Pre-review notes:

I have only seen the animated version this live-action remake was based on once. It was on an iPod touch which will give you a good idea of just how long ago that was… Therefore, walking into this movie, I didn’t have as much nostalgia or reverence for the animated film as others may have.

What I liked:

The first note I wrote after watching this film was ‘Oh my gosh that was good’. Sometimes you go into a film and want to have your mind blown, sometimes you need a film that is the equivalent to a warm hug. I would say that this leans heavily into the latter with a healthy dose of the former to be an incredibly satisfying trip to the cinema.