The berg of Berk is so north it gives cartographers a headache. It’s full of unfiltered, rugged sociopaths absolutely determined to rid the island of its infestation problem. The problem is that it ain’t mice. The creatures responsible for the collective village anxiety breathe fire, destroy homes, and are kinda immune to mousetraps.
The story here, however, is not necessarily about dragons, but about the anomalous Berkster who doesn’t quite have the measured testosterone level of his peers. Hiccup (Mason Thames) is a lot of things: curious, independent, intelligent, friendly, innovative … but “dragon-killer” ain’t on that list. The conflict here is that “dragon-killer” is the most desired quality of any Berk citizen. We pick up the story during a dragon raid where Hiccup -widely known for his battle incompetence- seems to be getting in everybody’s way, including that of his father, tribe chieftain, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, revising his role from the animated version).
Knowing he ain’t fittin’ in without an exploit or two, Hiccup has designed a bolo catapult of sorts and accidentally shoots down a Night Fury, the most feared species of dragon in Berkland. This would be great if anyone saw him do it. Unfortunately, all the town saw was Hiccup getting in the way, and then drawing unwanted dragon attention through exposed vulnerability. Not a winning move, buddy.
In the moments that follow, three independent things happen almost simultaneously: 1) Stoick and the adult village warriors take to the seas to locate and destroy the dragon nest they’ve never found. 2) Stoick commands that dragon battle training begin for all the coming-of-age village “warriors.” 3) Hiccup finds the dragon he shot down … and with the creature at Hiccup’s mercy, he refuses to finish the Night Fury off. The problem is Hiccup managed to shred the Night Fury’s tailfin; without it, the creature cannot fly properly and immediately goes from being all tied up to being essentially jailed by a lake grotto surrounded by steep cliffs.
So imagine you’re Hiccup – easily considered the weakest and most flawed dragon hunter of the entire settlement. You have a dragon at your mercy. Even with the creature rope-free, it’s basically imprisoned. But you’re also a pacifist and curious and not somebody who gets off on the idea of having a pet dragon just to torture the thing. Your instinct is -clearly- to hide what you know … and it’s a good one; the village has proven itself hostile to free thought
and un-Viking-like behavior. OTOH, you could finally earn some street cred, maybe even change your lot in life by showing off your exploits.
And this is where the movie shines. In a way, we are all Hiccup – more pacifistic and curious by nature than we are aggressive and conformist. We want to know more than we want to kill, no matter how detrimental that choice may be. This is a film for the uncelebrated and curious. This is a film for folks who want to take the chances we never take.
If you think about it, How to Train Your Dragon is the ultimate tale of personal growth. The story is that of the local pariah, the village idiot rising to the rank of village savior, village hero without changing a single piece of his core. The rise was accomplished through growth, integrity, heart, and not only the bravery of potential physical sacrifice, but also the bravery involved in conviction of character and the willingness to reveal that character to an already disapproving throng. I love this film. It speaks to introverts, underachievers, true diamonds-in-the-rough, and certainly to anybody who has ever not lived up to parental expectations.
In fact, the only problem I have with this film is WE’VE SEEN IT ALREADY. Does that matter? Unfortunately, yes. I think the almost entirely untouched screenplay is worth another look, even if this is hardly a re-examination and the cinematography alone might make this version worth seeing, but as much as I love this film and its new look, I will not be recommending it for any awards by simple virtue of the fact that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the 2010 animated version.
There was once a placid Viking lad
Who made his brute father so sad
For he wouldn’t fight a beast
Deciding, in the least
Not every sitch requires you be armor-clad
Rated PG, 125 Minutes
Director: Dean DeBlois
Writer: Dean DeBlois. Cressida Cowell, William Davies
Genre: Didn’t we see this?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: If you liked it the first time …
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Xenophobes
