Way back in 1998, Gus Vant Sant, a director who made a name for himself with honest, human dramas like “Good Will Hunting” and “My Own Private Idaho” directed a shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller film “Psycho.” That remake, also titled “Psycho,” was mostly lambasted as a pointless exercise in creatively bankrupt filmmaking. That film was at least remaking one that was almost 30 years old. This shot-for-shot remake does share one of the same directors as its original film, one of the same writers of the same film, and many of the same production crew members as well. We’ll see if that will make it matter any more.
“How to Train Your Dragon” follows young awkward Viking Hiccup, played by Mason Thames (“The Black Phone,” “Incoming”), the son of the manly and strong chief of the Isle of Berk Stoick, played by Gerard Butler (“300,” “Olympus Has Fallen”). The Vikings of Berk are constantly beseeched by deadly dragons constantly attacking their town and Hiccup one night manages to down one of the deadliest: a Night Fury. After finding that the creature is really nothing to be afraid of, he begins to slowly learn how to tame various dragons using non-violent methods, attracting the attention of star Dragon killing pupil Astrid, played by Nico Parker (“Dumbo (2019),” “Suncoast”), local mechanic and dragon killing teacher Gobber, played by Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz”), and the newfound adoration of Hiccup’s father.
At its core, this is very much the same story of an outsider finding his place in the world, of differing forms of masculinity, of respecting nature, and of father and son bonds. In fact, despite some minor tweaks, DeBlois has on record stated that they used the same script as the original animated film. This leads into some confusing decisions and dialogue that works far better in an exaggerated animated environment than it does in a live action one. Lines that flowed better and faster in the original feel stilted and awkward in live-action. The handful of moments that are changed are done so in bizarre ways that stand out: quick lines referring to Vikings from “sun baked tribes” or the “silk road” to explain why Berk is more multi-cultural, and a moment where Hiccup tells Astrid not to interfere because his dad “respects her too much” feel very out of place and awkward.
The performances are, across the board, very solid. Frost and Butler are excellent and provide a great sense of presence and character to the entire adventure. Butler clearly loves this character as he voiced Stoick in the original animated film, and the joy and energy in his performance is evident. Parker and Thames are fine enough, but neither is able to break out of the roles. They just come across as adequate impersonations, rather than real, lived performances. The worst offenders come from the gaggle of bullies that befriend Hiccup over the course of his adventure. Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, played by Gabriel Howell (“Bodies,” “Nightsleeper”), Julian Dennison (“Deadpool 2,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”), Ingerman Bronwyn James (“Wicked,” “Harlots”), and Harry Trevaldwyn (“Ten Percent,” “The Bubble”) respectively, feel as though they come from the Disney Channel school of teen acting. Dennison eventually finds his footing as Fishlegs, but the rest are more annoying than endearing.
John Powell’s (“Kung Fu Panda,” “Happy Feet”) evocative and emotional score is as wonderful as ever, soaring and flying with the scaled beasts it sets to music. At times, it can feel almost muted compared to the original, with some notes and instruments feeling held back compared to the original compositions. The same goes for the film’s visuals, which while detailed and gorgeous, are also far duller than one would expect. What should be grand sweeping vistas of blues, greens, browns, and greys, come across as muddied and swaddled in grey fog and night. For the most part, cinematographer Bill Pope’s (“The Matrix,” “Spider-Man 2”) work here is great, but it consistently feels as though the film’s brightness is turned down to half levels.
Quite simply, it looks and feels like a fan film at worst and a promotional ad for a new theme park at best (I see what you’re doing here, “Epic Universe: Isle of Berk”). The slaven commitment to recreating the original film in look, feel, and literal shots means that, for people who’ve seen the original countless times, there’s nothing new here. There can’t be “easter eggs” for fans of the original when everything must be exactly as it was before. And things come across so stilted and soulless that it will likely confuse those who’ve never seen the original and came in expecting to see the tale they’ve heard is one of the greatest animated films of this century.
It feels odd, given the negative connotations of the rest of this review, but this live action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon” is a harmless affair that mostly manages to recapture the charm of the original film without ever soaring close to as high as any film in the franchise, let alone the original. However, in attempting to retell the same tale just in a live action format, DeBlois has effectively made what is a high school production to the original film’s Broadway production. It’s the same song and dance, but it can’t help but pale in comparison to what came before in virtually every way. 3.5/5
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