How to Train Your Dragon Review – A Surprisingly Fun Return to Berk

Walking into the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, I had a mix of curiosity and hesitation. This is a franchise people hold close to their hearts. The animated original hit a nerve with its soaring emotion, its bond between boy and dragon, and that incredible John Powell score that has stuck with fans ever since. So, of course, the question is: does the new version hold up?

Honestly? It does. For the most part, anyway.

The live-action take on How to Train Your Dragon is exactly what it sets out to be. It’s a fun, adventurous reimagining of the original story that tries to keep the heart of Hiccup and Toothless intact. There are definitely hiccups along the way (pun not intended?), but if you’re walking into the movie hoping for a good time with dragons and a nostalgic blast of emotion, you’ll probably walk out smiling.

Let’s start with the good stuff. The cast does what they need to do, simple as that. No one gives a bad performance, but it’s Gerard Butler who really is the scene-stealer. Returning as Stoick the Vast, he brings a weight to the role that balances power and warmth in a way that works better here than I expected. It could’ve easily felt like a copy-paste job, but somehow it feels right that he’s back. The gruff voice. The screen presence. He commands attention every time he’s on screen.

The actors playing Hiccup and Astrid are solid, even if they’re still figuring out how to step into such iconic shoes. They’ve got decent chemistry and they handle the emotional beats well enough. It might take some viewers a little time to get used to seeing real people interact with Toothless and other dragons, but eventually it clicks into place. What helps is that the script gives them room to breathe between the big set pieces. You get just enough time to see their relationship build and shift, which adds some heart to all the fire-breathing action. Neither performance is as instantly memorable as the animated versions, but you can see potential if sequels are on the horizon.

Visually though, things are a bit more hit-or-miss. The CGI dragons are cool, no doubt. Toothless still has that same charm and expressive face, which is a big win. But you can’t help but notice the effects sometimes feel a bit unfinished. There are moments when the dragons don’t quite blend into the world around them. 

In animation there’s more freedom to exaggerate expressions and movements, which helped sell the emotional bond between Hiccup and Toothless. In live action, some of that expressiveness is lost, and while the animators try to bridge that gap, it doesn’t always land perfectly.

And the overall look of the movie is surprisingly dark. Not dark as in grim or edgy, but literally dark. There’s a lot of shadow. A lot of muted colors. Maybe it was a stylistic choice to make it feel more grounded, but sometimes it just made it hard to see what was happening. Especially in some of the nighttime scenes.

I’d say though, one of the best surprises was hearing the original animated movie’s soundtrack make a comeback. As soon as those familiar notes kicked in, it was like a wave of nostalgia hit. That music carries so much emotional weight and it elevates every moment it’s used. If you’re a fan of the original animated trilogy, hearing that score again will probably give you chills.

Story-wise, the movie sticks pretty close to the original. This is not some massive reimagining or gritty reboot. It’s a retelling. That means you probably know where it’s all going, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, the familiarity makes the emotional moments land more easily. You’re already attached to these characters, so watching their journey again, even in new form, still works.

But that brings up a question a lot of people are probably asking: is this version necessary if it just retells the same story?

That’s tricky. No one was really demanding a live-action How to Train Your Dragon. The animated version still holds up incredibly well. But this doesn’t feel like a replacement. It plays more like a loving tribute that gets what made the original special. If you’re a longtime fan, there’s enough heart here to make the return trip to Berk feel worth it. And if you’re new to the story, this might even be a fun gateway into the animated trilogy. It’s not perfect, but it is enjoyable.

Toothless is still adorable. Hiccup is still the awkward underdog. And flying on a dragon still looks like the best thing ever. 

That’s enough for me.