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Let down by its illogical “found footage” approach, this remains an impressively compelling ride, which has more in line with classic storytelling than current fads.

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While Worthington doesn’t quite match the talent of his top-notch co-stars, this admittedly implausible but impressively dynamic thriller is exciting stuff.

The Artist

Beautifully made, surprisingly fresh, and there’s no denying its charm, but ultimately, it’s a slight case of style over substance.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Driven by Elizabeth Olsen’s mesmerising lead performance, this languid and unsettling story buries deep into your mind

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How To Train Your Dragon 3D (Film)

by Annette Basile | March 23, 2010 15:15 | Edited March 23, 2010 15:34

This is one of DreamWorks’ best pics and the bond between the boy and his beast is beautifully developed

If you're an overgrown kid, and susceptible to the hypnotic effects of 3D computer-animated films, you'll fall down the rabbit hole of this DreamWorks dragons and Vikings fantasy within five seconds. The animation is staggering. The look of the Vikings' coastal village, lined by massive rock formations that jut out from the sea, is sublime, while the fantastical dragons that terrorise the townsfolk have been unleashed from wildly fertile imaginations.

 

The story's hero is called Hiccup (ably voiced by Jay Baruchel), a scrawny teenage wannabe dragon-slayer who has conflicts with his brawny father, Stoik (Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who sounds suspiciously like Mike Myers' Shrek). Hiccup, trying to prove himself, shoots down a rare Night Fury dragon - a black, leathery, bat-like beast. Hiccup soon finds the wounded creature - later christening him ‘Toothless' - and discovers that the feared dragon is just one big puppy dog, really. "Everything we know about you guys is wrong," the boy tells his new pet.

Hiccup's romantic designs on apprentice dragon-slayer Astrid (Ugly Betty's America Ferrera) are of less interest, and his relationship with his disapproving dad is a forced detour from the central narrative. But there's a sense of history and lore in the film's fabric, and the message about trashing old ideas in the face of new information is a beauty.

How To Train Your Dragon is equal to, if not better than DreamWorks' previous CGI films (Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda). But it's marred by scenes that are too violent for a kids' flick. The fierce dragon-Viking battles could easily frighten younger children, especially in 3D. True, the filmmakers are targeting older kids, but they've still crossed a line.

 

Yet, it's the friendship between a boy and his beast that's at the warm heart of this film, and what a beautiful friendship it is.