For the most part, animated film suffer from a common ailment: They appeal to kids only. They have dumb jokes at best, and crude ones at worst. They're full of stupid humor, stupid characters and stupid plot. They do nothing to make you care about the film at all. Most of the time, these films end up being just straight to DVD pictures, but there was a company that was especially good at putting out crap and making money off of it. That company was Dreamworks.
Dreamworks draws my ire mostly because its competition from Pixar was way better in comparison. Quick, name me a Dreamworks film that's not a Shrek or Madagascar film. See? It's hard. Their stuff was, for the most part, unremarkable and silly. Their jokes were funny mostly because they were gross.
However, in 2010, Dreamworks did something I never would have believed possible: They beat Pixar in the arena. Not moneywise, but I really do believe in overall enjoyment. So, enjoy the breath of fresh air that is...How to Train Your Dragon!
Cast: Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast
Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch
America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman
Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson
TJ Miller and Kristin Wiig as Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorston
Plot: Berk is the home of the Vikings, the powerful but stubborn people of the north seas. They have staked a claim to this island for generations defending it against the ferocious dragons that also live in the area. Though the Vikings push hard, they have never been able to drive off the dragons completely, and the war between the two sides continues. The Viking society is all about killing dragons: Fame, good fortune and everything else that a Viking desires comes from taking down dragons...something Hiccup is completely incapable of. With a wry humor, slight stature and none too impressive skills, the son of the chieftain is the social outcast of the village. However, in a moment of desperation, Hiccup manages to successfuly catch downed dragon and prepares to deal the death blow and earn his place. But instead, he frees the helpless beast and in doing so, creates a course of events that will change everything.
The Review: I've said it already, but I need to say it again: I don't really like Dreamworks. The first two Shrek movies were pretty good, and Kung Fu Panda was pretty fun, but they weren't stellar. (Yes, you could argue for Prince of Egypt, but that's so far back that it's an entirely different Dreamworks company). Add that the series of books this movie is based off of is nothing but immature, male humor packed into a couple pages, I wasn't entirely pleased when I saw what was coming for Dreamworks.
So when I started hearing good things about this film from ADULTS, I was more than surprised. Hey, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I never got to see a trailer for it, so I could only judge by past experience. So, on a whim, I decided to go take a look and see if it was any good or not.
Holy crap, I was blown away. It was the animated film of the year! I was completely taken aback by how good it was. And just how good?
It starts off good, that's how. The action begins right at the start, and an excellent narrative provided by Hiccup brings you into the world rather easily. No long winded explanations, just some fun action and a clever opening let you understand the film's world without too much trouble.
And also established early on is the tense relationship between Hiccup and his father, Stoick. There's obvious embarassment on Stoick's end because of who he is and what he expects from his son, and there's resentment and unhappiness because he can't make his father happy despite all his efforts. The attempts to have a normal conversation between the two are awkward for both parties, and feel pretty realistic. It's a common plot element, but they pull it off real nice.
Another great aspect of the film was its visuals, a key for animated films nowadays. The environments are mostly rough and rocky crags, but the details are pretty exqsuisite. I can only think of one animated film that looks better, and more on that at another time.
While the core four characters(Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Stoick) get most of the screen time, but the side characters aren't pushed out. They get some good lines, and feel like they have a well-developed personality instead of being just a bunch of faces to move the plot along.
Now, what was my biggest complaint about Dreamworks? Crappy jokes. Gross ones, crude ones (I'm looking at YOU, Monsters vs Aliens) that really made only kids laugh. THIS movie, however, was slick, smart and just plain clever. Hiccup's sarcastic one-liner are pretty memorable, the jokes feel unusually fresh, and by far outstrip any other Dreamworks film that came before it.
But really, what's a review of this movie without a mention of Toothless? I mean, this dragon is the coolest dragon ever. He manages to be cute, hilarious, and just plain awesome in whatever scene he gets. Just how popular was he? Let me put it this way: The Night Fury action figure was selling for twelve bucks: They were all gone at retail stores, and online it was going for nearly $40 at the cheapest. That's a cool dragon.
And with a good shoutout for Toothless, one cannot forget the first flying scene: Simply stunningly gorgeous, a beautiful score to complement the scene, and really just one of the best scenes in any animated film period.
But of course, one of the key requirements of a film is the main character. Hiccup feels relatable and altogether believable. We all either know someone like him, or we are like Hiccup. There's no other way to explain it.
I gave it a mention before, but the film's score is beautiful and a lot of fun. It has an adventurous, wildly free feel that fits the movie just right. Why this film didn't win the Oscar for Best Score is beyond me, and in my opinion a travesty of justice.
And if a movie starts well, it needs to end well. Though there' some ending scenes afterwards, the movie's climax is a real rouser. Enough action for adults to enjoy, but not too violent where kids couldn't have fun.
The Bottom Line: How to Train Your Dragon seemed to turn around the idea that Dreamworks was simple children's fare. They didn't stay that way, unfortunately, but it was still a blast of a film no mater what. It's a talking film, one that makes a pretty good point: The things that scare us are most likely pretty scared OF us. Sometimes the things we think are monsters aren't really so monstrous, and all it takes is a little digging, and something a little unique from someone unique. I recommend this film, I really do. Way to go Dreamworks, you made a heck of a film.
And with that, my work for this week is done. I'll see you all on Monday, and be ready for another great film!
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