Title – How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Director – Dean DeBlois (Lilo & Stitch)

Cast – Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost

Plot – On the ancient isle of Berk, teenage boy Hiccup (Thames) befriends a wounded dragon he calls Toothless, setting in motion a bond that goes against everything his father and village leader Stoick (Butler) believes in.  

“Our parents’ war is about to become ours. Figure out what side you’re on”

Review by Eddie on 23/06/2025

Proving that if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, Dean DeBlois’s “live action” version of his very own animated smash hit from 2010 How to Train Your Dragon is proof that sometimes a successful formula doesn’t need to be reimagined, as his big-budget summer blockbuster becomes one of the better real life remakes of the modern era.

Not entirely a shot for shot new take of the original but close to it in many aspects, even if this new version adds roughly 20 minutes of extra run time to proceedings, Dragon manages to look and feel every part of its substantial $150 million dollar plus budget as it offers up cinemagoers a great family movie option for the Summer blockbuster period.

Following the adventures and budding friendship of misunderstood Viking boy Hiccup, here played by rising star Mason Thames, and his new dragon acquittance he names Toothless, Dragon as per the original offering follows a familiar and tried and true formula but thanks to an added energy, inventiveness, colourful characters and more than its fair share of heart, DeBlois’s feature is far more enjoyable than most of its compatriots and for his live action debut, DeBlois has proven himself to be the perfect choice to helm the series as it evolves into this new era.

Overcoming a relatively sluggish start that likely suffers from the fact we know what’s coming based off the original, once Hiccup and Toothless’s relationship starts to properly bubble along and Hiccup’s own personal journey of growth and finding his place in the isle of Berk, Dragon really starts to fly and offer up a fantastically entertaining mix of heart, humour and spectacle that’s sure to appeal to a wide target market.

Backed by John Powell’s renowned score and some of the years most impressive uses of CGI that shine on the big screen when Hiccup and Toothless reach for the clouds and in the films final act that provides some notable dragon infused action, there may not be anything provided here narratively that enhances anything from the series three main animated entries so far but it’s hard to imagine fans of the series or those coming into this as fresh viewers not being entertained by what they’ve been given.

With the added bonus of Gerard Butler having as much fun as his had in years reprising his role as village leader Stoick, Dragon is a strong candidate for one of the most easy to enjoy crowd-pleasers of the 2025 release calendar, making the proposition of the announced sequel one to look forward too rather than dread.

Final Say –

With a winning cast, a steady pace and some memorable eye-candy, this live action version of Dreamworks beloved scaled property is a winner, despite it never attempting to do anything different with its tried and true approach.

3 1/2 baskets of fish out of 5