How to Train Your Dragon review — live action remake lacks creative fire
Thor almighty! It's happened! After decades of witnessing Disney raid its own back catalogue for soulless live-action reboots, rival studio Dreamworks has finally joined the self-cannibalising remake train. And boy has it proved, with this How to Train Your Dragon update, that it can be as bland as the best of them.
Yes, we're in slavish shot-for-shot remake terrain, ie a live action copy of the original animated frames. This still makes no sense, neuters spontaneity and always proves the superiority of the animated version. It's the cinematic equivalent of those viral Instagram posts that feature classic paintings recreated with friends, kids and animals. Bravo, yes, it looks just like the original but…and?
• Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews
The story of the geeky Viking protagonist Hiccup (Mason Thames) and his gang of teenage warriors now occurs within this awkward straitjacket of shot-for-shot narrative conformity. Hiccup tames a lethal 'Night Fury' dragon called Toothless and must convince his fellow dragon-hating Vikings, especially his father and chieftain Stoick (Gerard Butler), that these creatures are allies and the real enemy is, in fact, a mega-beast called the Red Death. And yet everything that happens on screen, and in the film's remote Northern Ireland shooting locations, has a strangely lifeless quality, like everyone's simply clocking in on the day for there 'This is the bit where…' copycat scene.
• Cressida Cowell on How to Train Your Dragon: I have my own theme park now
The acting is uneven and symptomatic of a film with no driving vision. Thames's Hiccup is all cartoon reaction shots and wide bug-eyes. Butler, by contrast, goes full Coriolanus in his scenes and even roars through spit and tears at his son, 'They took your mother for god's sake!' The role of fighting femme Astrid has been given to Nico Parker (the perfect child-minder from Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) but without, it seems, any performance notes other than, well, just stare straight ahead and seem slightly miffed.
It's directed by Dean DeBlois, who co-directed the first one and has, inexplicably and fatally, excised the wickedly snarky personality of Toothless. He's a complicated and grumpy teen-ish dragon in the original but an empty special effect here. DeBlois, however, has kept the brash American accents of the Viking kids, even though their parents are mostly Scottish or Cockney (see Nick Frost as the geezer blacksmith Gobber). Because, clearly, that's important.
It's loud and diverting and very young children are sure to be entertained. But it's also utterly dead, right down to its hollow, greedy, cash-grabbing core.In cinemas from Jun 13PG, 125min
• The island that breathed fire into Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon
Make Wednesday your go-to cinema day. Each month Times+ members can bring a friend for free at Everyman on a Wednesday. The perfect cinema experience with plush sofas, a full bar and great food. Visit mytimesplus.co.uk to find out more.Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I live with my ex in a tiny flat even though we broke up - we still share a bed but neither of us can afford to move out
A woman has revealed how she's still living with her ex-boyfriend in a tiny flat - even though they broke up months earlier. Bethany Lee, who is from Devon, broke up with her fiancé David Smith around three months ago. The couple, who had been together for two and a half years and share one-year-old son Finneas, are still sharing the cooking and cleaning - and even sleep in the same bed. Bethany, who is in her late 20s, says that neither of them can afford to move out so for now they're making do in the 'tiny' two-bedroom flat in Derbyshire. She explained that the break-up was 'pretty mutual' and they still 'get along really well as friends'. In a video on TikTok, where she's posting with the aim to raise enough money to move out, Bethany said: 'I've been living with my ex-boyfriend for three months now and everyone's a bit interested in it. 'We just can't afford to live separately. We can hardly afford to live here together in this cheap little flat as it is because of the cost of living crisis.' 'It's not as weird as you think. Not ideal though,' she confessed in the comment section. Bethany and David met in their first year of university and were in the same halls. But their relationship didn't immediately go to plan, as Bethany became pregnant after knowing each other for just three months. 'Shock, our relationship didn't work out,' she said in her TikTok video. Now, her ex-partner works five to six days a week in management, while she works three days a week as a receptionist. This means that she will mainly do the cooking and cleaning during the week, to give her ex time with their son on his days off. She explained that initially post break-up, they'd tried to do things separately, such as washing and cooking, but it 'didn't work out' as the space they're sharing is so small. She explained: 'Now our set up is very similar to how it would be when we were in a relationship, where I cook and I do a lot more of the housework and he is out at work a lot more hours than I am.' Her partner did sleep on the sofa initially and they considered getting a sofa bed, but decided the money would be better used to save towards her moving out. Giving her followers a tour of her flat, Beth said it has 'no storage' and only one cupboard, containing the boiler. Moving onto the kitchen, she compared it to a 'glorified hallway with cupboards'. 'Every inch of space has been used to store stuff,' she said. In the comments, she admitted it's 'hard' but she doesn't 'know what else to do'. However, she did admit in the comment section that they're no longer having sex. Rushing to the comments, many were left baffled at Bethany and David's living arrangements. They said: 'I'm gonna say it. You can't be friends with an EX, because you either never loved or you are still in love with them'; 'You guys are basically a married couple without realising it.' Bethany admitted she does the majority of the cleaning as David is often at work Others thought it was unfair that Bethany was taking on the majority of the housework, especially since the breakup. One wrote: 'So he's basically got a live in maid sorry you deserve better girl look up the mental load.' A second said: 'I think he should pay you or cover more of the rent for the work you do for him,' while a third added: 'Girl you have been brainwashed.' However, another person praised the former couple as 'Brilliant parents. Total respect to you both.' In another video, Beth shared clips of herself 'cleaning up for the third time that day' before preparing dinner for her son and her ex. After receiving backlash, she clarified in another video that she enjoys the cleaning, and can make money by filming herself doing it on TikTok. Now she's started to look around for a new place to live, and hopes to go back to university in September to study psychology.
Telegraph
14 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Richard Wilson's fantastic King Lear is proof that the BBC should be doing more Shakespeare
According to the actor Jonathan Pryce, you should play Lear while your back can still handle it. Pryce played the octogenarian king when he was a mere 65, and still put his back out staggering onstage with Cordelia in his arms. Drama on 4: King Lear (Radio 4, Sunday) gave us a satisfying reminder that radio drama can reach the places other mediums can't, as the 89-year-old Richard Wilson took on the role – becoming the oldest British actor to do so in the process. When he staggers on with Cordelia in Sunday's concluding part, Wilson's back will be safe. Clive Brill's production, while relatively no-frills, is a treat, as well as being a potential blueprint for BBC radio drama. Wilson is the eye-catching name at the top of the bill, but the undercard isn't too shabby either – Toby Jones as Gloucester, David Tennant as Edmund, Greta Scacchi as Goneril, Tamsin Greig as Regan. Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis adds interstitial howls from his bow, which begin a little overbearing but grow in stature as the play increases in intensity. Among the less starry cast, Trevor Fox's Geordie Fool stands out. However, it is Wilson that this production will be judged on. His Lear is a slow-burn, beginning, as he vaingloriously beseeches his daughters to shower him with sycophancy in return for a share of the kingdom, in a stubbornly low gear. It is a little jarring at first, with Lear sounding mildly peeved rather than furious at Cordelia's refusal to play ball. 'Come not between a dragon and his wrath,' he says, sounding more like a sleepy guard dog lazing in the sun. While it's sensible not to start Lear at too high a pitch – he has some serious emotional mountains to climb later – I was, in those very early scenes, left wanting a bit more p--s and vinegar from Wilson. His stolid, pompous statesman act felt like it was going to be overshadowed by Tennant's duplicitous bastard (in every sense of the word) Edmund. Tennant gave the listener a fairground ride of an opening soliloquy ('Why brand they us / With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?') and his slippery chameleon act was matched by an emotionally raw performance from Jones, who reacted to Edgar's invented betrayal with the sort of passion previously missing from Wilson. Perhaps Wilson was to play an anchor role next to the pyrotechnics from his younger castmates. I was, like Lear, too quick to rush judgement and gradually Wilson's haughty, dismissive old king began to take a grip on proceedings. His Lear is a man who has grown used to hearing no dissent, to having his every whim catered to. When things do not go his way, he does not get angry (at first), because he does not need to – he'll still win. At the point Cordelia 'betrays' him, his reaction is not hot anger, but a surprised disappointment followed by a swift execution. He is vain, thin-skinned, completely in love with his own power, and unwilling to brook any kind of dissent or believe the cards will not fall for him. 'Fetch me a better answer,' he says when Regan and Goneril will not meet him. There is, yes, something very Trumpian about this Lear. If there's a sense that Wilson is saving something up for the more explosive events of this weekend's instalment, that's understandable, but it's tricky to truly give a verdict on his Lear before he has wandered the heath and delivered the most memorable lines ('Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!', 'Howl, howl, howl, howl!', 'I don't believe it!' etc). Yet what a pleasure it is to hear him, age 89, delivering the words that presumably he'd long given up imagining he would. The production is also a salute to the power of the older actor – Matthew Marsh (Kent) is 70, Scacchi is 65, Jones and Greig are 58. Yet that cast is significant for another reason – put this production on in the West End, with the same actors, and you'd be paying more than £100 to sit behind a pillar or peer at them dimly from the upper circle. With theatre pricing becoming increasingly eye-watering, the BBC has a chance to remind everyone (ahead of charter renewal) of its essential place in British culture. With the Corporation's sway and reputation, they could put a star-name Shakespeare on once a month, or even once a week, increasing access beyond those who can justify the exorbitant West End fees. Not only can BBC radio drama save Wilson's back, it can save something that should be coursing through the nation's veins.
The Sun
15 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island beauty reveals she's dating hunky new man after Casey O'Gorman fling in the villa and family tragedy
NEW ROMANCE Scroll to find out what this star had to say about Casey LOVE Island star Rosie Seabrook has revealed she has found love again with a hunky new man. The stunning reality star, 26, shot to fame on season nine of Love Island after she dated Casey O'Gorman in the villa two years ago. 3 3 But Rosie has now revealed she has found love again, after a difficult year which saw her lose her dad. During an Instagram Q&A, the former Islander revealed how she is in a relationship. Asked by a fan if she "was single", Rosie simply replied: "No I'm not." - followed by a love heart emoji. Rosie also shared a picture with her new man, although she has kept his identity a secret. In the sweet snap the pair are stood on an idyllic shore, with their backs turned away from the camera. FAMILY TRAGEDY Rosie finding happiness again, comes after she went through a heartbreaking family tragedy last year. The former Islander revealed last July how her beloved dad had sadly passed away. Beginning her social media post with a white dove, white heart and the date "11.07.24", Rosie said: "I don't think I'll ever come to understand why this has happened, words cannot even begin to express the pain I feel, the sadness feels endless knowing there is a piece of me missing that nothing will be able to fill 💔 "Though we may be apart, you will always be in my heart and I will hold onto and cherish our memories forever "I love you forever. Daddy's little girl always." Love Island star reveals she 'regrets' not dating another Islander after being brutally dumped CASEY ROMANCE Meanwhile, leaving the villa together, Casey and Rosie's relationship ended as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. Rosie told fans on her YouTube channel that she hadn't seen or heard from the Love Island contestant after leaving South Africa. She said: "Coming back to the UK we barely spoke if I'm honest. "We were both with friends and family. That's fine but for me, I think I did reach out and I didn't really hear anything back." Rosie added: "And I felt there was not any effort made. "I think the doubts that I had in the villa became very apparent when we left Love Island and I feel it just confirmed what I was thinking." Love Island 2025 full lineup Harry Cooksley: A 29-year-old footballer with charm to spare. Sophie Lee: A model and motivational speaker who has overcome adversity after suffering life-changing burns in an accident. Shakira Khan: A 22-year-old Manchester-based model, ready to turn heads. Blu Chegini: A boxer with striking model looks, seeking love in the villa. Megan Moore: A payroll specialist from Southampton, looking for someone tall and stylish. Alima Gagigo: International business graduate with brains and ambition. Tommy Bradley: A gym enthusiast with a big heart. Helena Ford: A Londoner with celebrity connections, aiming to find someone funny or Northern. Ben Hullbra: A model ready to make waves. Megan Clarke: An Irish actress already drawing comparisons to Maura Higgins. Dejon Noel-Williams: A personal trainer and semi-pro footballer, following in his footballer father's footsteps. Aaron Buckett: A towering 6'5' personal trainer. Conor Phillips: A 25-year-old Irish rugby pro Antonia Laites: Love Island's first bombshell revealed as sexy Las Vegas pool party waitress. Rose Selway: Beauty salon owner from Devon who runs 12 aesthetics clinics, boasting a famous clientele including former Love Islanders Departures: Kyle Ashman: Axed after an arrest over a machete attack emerged. He was released with no further action taken and denies any wrongdoing.
