Rent How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

A live-action remake of the best animated film ever... which has no reason to exist - How to Train Your Dragon review by Timmy B

I say this with no hyperbole or exaggeration: the original/animated version of How To Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) redefined how I felt about animated films. I had seen my fair share of them in my life, with some having more of an impact than others, but I never actively seeked them out. Then I heard the critical praise for HTTYD and was interested, but never thought it would have the impact it did.

Within 5 minutes of starting it, I was totally immersed in that world. It is to me, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest animated film ever made. I love every single second of it. Not one thing isn't perfect: voice acting, animation, soundtrack, story, themes, humour, sadness, character arc. Every single element is masterful, with the ability to make me laugh one minute, then cry the next. Even though the 2nd film wasn't as good as the 1st, the world that had been created shone through and is a place I adore being in.

So when there was the inevitable announcement, after the massive success of the animated versions, that there was to be a live-action remake, I was actually quite resistant to it. I detest Hollywood's desperation to grab everything that makes money, whether it is good or bad, and simply remake and churn out endless variations/formats of the story. But I also do not pass judgement on something until I have seen it. And the again positive reviews gave some encouragement that this could be good. So I rented it and pressed play...

This is effectively a shot-for-shot remake of the animated film. And that sentence is in many ways the death-knell for it for one simple reason: why are you watching a largely CGI-world with live actors when you could be watching the actual original, which is simply flawless. And that's exactly what I kept thinking, repeatedly, as this film went through the motions. Every scene, I remembered how the animated film played out, compared it to this, then thought "Why does this film exist? What point does it serve? What is gained by creating a facsimile of the original masterpiece?"

And I want to make clear, I am not criticising the production values, CGI artwork of the dragons, acting or use of IMAX. It is impossible to hate something which has been crafted so carefully with what is clearly love for the source material (hence my 2 star rating.)

But to me, this film is nothing more than a great big ringing cash-till. This has been commissioned and produced by a studio which is simply interested in making as much money as is possible from a piece of intellectual property. And because it is clear the amount of love and adoration there is for the animated film, the producers have simply hedged their bets and said "Just duplicate it with a couple of things slightly changed to differentiate it..."

And it made an eye-watering amount of money, which has led to the inevitable sequel and the cycle continues...

Believe me, just stick to the animated film. You'll absolutely adore it and if you have already seen it and are thinking about watching this, just don't...