How To Train Your Dragon film review: It's a heartfelt film but not as magical second time around

The Sun

21 hours ago

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
(PG) 125mins
★★★☆☆
4
4
THIS live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon is a gorgeous, heartfelt film full of emotion and excitement.
However, as it sticks so closely to the 2010 animated version of Cressida Cowell's books, it feels more like a copy than a fresh take on the beloved story.
Director Dean DeBlois returns, along with composer John Powell and Gerard Butler, now playing Stoick in person. It's clear they all care deeply about the original.
Still, that reverence and respect keeps the film from taking risks or trying anything new and fresh.
The story is the same — and, naturally, it still works. Hiccup (Mason Thames), a young Viking with more brain power than physical prowess, lives on the rugged isle of Berk.
Despite his warrior lineage, the teenager has never quite fitted in with his tribe.
Thrilling scenes
When he finds an injured young dragon, instead of killing it like he's supposed to, Hiccup decides to help it learn to fly again.
Their unlikely friendship drives this beautifully touching story and eventually changes everything for Hiccup and his people.
Thames brings warmth and charm to the role, and Toothless — thanks to inspired CGI — is as expressive and lovable as ever.
Nico Parker's Astrid gets more screen time in this version, and she makes the most of it.
Her performance is strong, and her character feels sturdier and more developed.
Gerard Butler does a solid job as Stoick, Hiccup's tough-but-caring father, though his live-action performance isn't quite as memorable as his voice work in the original.
Elsewhere, Nick Frost is hugely likeable as Gobber the Belch, a pal of Stoick's and teacher of the tribe's dragon-training recruits.
Visually, the film looks beautiful. Cinematographer Bill Pope captures the rough beauty of Berk and creates some thrilling dragon flight scenes.
But even at its most stunning, the movie struggles to match the magic and creativity of the animated version's look and feel.
The adaptation moves along smoothly and confidently, but rarely manages to surprise.
For people who are new to the story, it will be exciting and moving.
But for fans of the original, it may feel a little too familiar and not as magical second time around.
★★★★☆
4
AFTER leaving prison, Molly Brown finds herself in a catch-22 situation.
To get her two young children back, she needs to have a home for them to live in. But the council will only provide Molly with accommodation if she has custody of her kids.
This kitchen sink drama from British director Daisy-May Hudson will have you shifting awkwardly in your seat as Molly makes one terrible decision after another in an attempt to see the children she so clearly loves.
Hudson, whose own mum was made homeless, pulls the audience's sympathies this way and that. On the one side, Molly has been dealt a poor hand due to her alcoholic and belittling mum who calls her Lollipop, but on the other she doesn't help herself by threatening social services.
Newcomer Posy Sterling is a revelation as the troubled mum. But not all the cast impress and if you want to know why Molly spent time behind bars, you'll be left disappointed.
Lollipop is not a piece of throwaway confectionery but isn't for cinemagoers who prefer to escape into a sweet-tasting world.
★★★☆☆
4
JOHN MACLEAN's Tornado is a unique, somewhat sad revenge western full of dark, beautiful imagery.
The story takes place in a bleak, empty landscape of 18th-century Scotland and combines elements of folk legends and samurai-style action to create an interesting, if slightly muddled storyline.
Mitsuki Kimura (credited as Kôki) brings spikey charisma to the role of Tornado, a travelling artist and sword performer who roams the empty moors with her father (Takehiro Hira), staging bizarre puppet and samurai shows to wandering villagers.
But their eccentric life is shattered when a child's theft of gold drags them into the path of Sugarman (a brilliant Tim Roth) and his brutal criminal gang.
Meanwhile, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, who plays one of Sugarman's henchmen, is let down by a screenplay that gives him little to work with.
The film's best asset is its atmosphere – the windswept landscapes feel almost otherworldly and the score adds eerie tension.
Tornado may not be to everyone's taste, but its originality deserves more than a nod of respect.