Universal’s first crack at remaking memorable DreamWorks properties flies as high as one carbon copy could.
It’s honestly quite surprising that it has taken this long for Universal Pictures and/or DreamWorks Animation to put out a live action remake from the DreamWorks catalogue of franchises. With almost 20 years’ worth of films to pull from, including notable classics Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, it’s almost admirable that they have staved off this long without having to go down this avenue. But as we have seen with Disney over the past decade, churning out live action remakes like it’s nothing, it was inevitable that we would get one involving a DreamWorks property. And so, arrives How to Train Your Dragon, a remake of the beloved 2010 animated film. While this film is almost an exact copy of the animated version, this live action remake has more to it, and rival studio Disney could learn a lesson or two from it.
How to Train the Dragon tells the story of Hiccup, a young kid and son of a chief whose isle of Berk containing Vikings, has been at war with dragons for centuries. But when Hiccup discovers Toothless, the most elusive dragon, and forms a bond with him, it changes everything on the isle.
If you have seen the 2010 animated version, this live action remake is almost the same film. From the story itself to even the look of the dragons, it’s essentially more of a carbon copy than many of the live action Disney remakes we have seen over the years. But in an era where it’s difficult to make anything original, I have become more forgiving and giving of leeway to remakes of this ilk. (I have been more favorable on the live action Disney remakes than most critics.) But what I look for in these live action remakes is something beyond just taking the names and likenesses of their characters and worlds. I ask myself, “Is there a level of authenticity to this entire thing?” Thankfully, there is in this How to Train Your Dragon.
From the sets, production design, and visual effects involving the dragons, there is a level of care to this production that helps make this film feel authentic; a world you could walk directly into from your seat in the theater where you are viewing the film. It makes for a viewing experience that feels like a living, breathing world that doesn’t look cheap or so obvious that they’re using the infamous LED Volume Wall technology for all the backgrounds of its scenes. The dragons themselves (and the stars of the show) look fantastic – whether it’s interacting with humans or in the aerial scenes when they take flight (the highlights of this film). Some may complain that these dragons look the same as their counterparts in the animated film; however, like the animated film, this version was also film made for families, so I understand not trying to scare anyone with update looks to these dragons that might turn away families. 
It also helps that this film has a good cast of human characters who contribute to this authenticity. Young stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last of Us) as Hiccup and Astrid do a good job of helping carry this film, as they have the most screen time here. Even though I would have liked to have seen someone other than Gerald Butler as the chief of the isle, the role he voiced in the animated film, he still delivers fun moments in this live action remake. To me, however, the standout human character of the film is Gobber the Belch played by Nick Frost. Training and recruiting new dragon fighters, Nick’s character, with limbs taken from dragons in years past, delivers the film’s funniest moments.
This How to Train Your Dragon won’t provide anything new if you’re familiar with the animated franchise, and that’s fine. It still makes for a fun, two-hour adventure in the cinema thanks to its characters and world that feel authentic with exhilarating aerial sequences that strap you onto the back of the flying dragons. After the likely success of this live action remake, I can only imagine what the studio will try and adapt next from its DreakWorks library–hopefully, one that does not involve a nightmarish-looking Shrek.