the Well Read Hobbit

Part II · Movies · Chapter 1

How to Train Your Dragon


Work
How to Train Your Dragon
Creator
Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois
Year
2010
Format
Film

A boy, a night-fury, and the blessed refusal to kill what you do not understand.

Summary: Hiccup is the wrong shape for a Viking village that measures worth in dead dragons. Then he wounds one — and discovers that finishing the job would finish him, too.

My Review: Dirt, sky, and stubborn mercy. The flying sequences feel like someone finally told the truth about wind. Toothless is not a pet; he is a neighbor with teeth. The film knows that courage sometimes looks like disappointing your father in public so you can save him in private. Clean wonder. Loud laughter. A scar that means something.

Concerns: Battle peril, parental conflict, a touch of wartime grief — handled with care.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5