Tracing back to the animated series, it’s always the dragons that get you, right? Especially, Toothless. Toothless holds the fandom. And this time, it’s back with a live-action showcase, making the visualisation an even better experience for you.
The 2025 live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois, conveys a fresh yet faithful take on the beloved story of friendship, identity, and courage.
Mason Thames leads the cast as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the awkward yet inventive son of the Viking chief, Stoick the Vast, once again portrayed by Gerard Butler, returning to the role he voiced in the original animated films. Nico Parker stars as Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup’s fierce and loyal companion in dragon training and his growing love interest.
The live-action showcase revolves around Hiccup. He is the odd one out in the tribe. Contemporaries look at him as privileged, given he is the chief’s son, even during a scene where we see Astrid confronting Hiccup for his delusions about dragons. Hiccup, who lost his mother to the dragons, believes not in revenge but in comprehension. He fights to fit in by attempting to hit Night Fury (Toothless), and he succeeds, only to tame it, train it, and make it his pet dragon later on. Eventually, he gets his way with the dragons.
Well, if you’ve watched the animated series, you might already be familiar with the foundations here. Still, the live-action version just makes it even more real, making it more believable. The enormous flights, the skies, all of it feels like magic that was left to be explored. As you watch, the cartoonish embodiment leaves your mind with ease, and you come out with an experience almost as a living spectator of the village, the pomp, the allure and the fury.
This one hits you more on the EQ. Because yes, humans. You get to see humans, so you connect within the blood and the flesh of it. The pulse rises with every phoenix that drops on the ground after a fire fight, and you become paranoid only to know if everyone is alright, and especially the Night Fury.
But Astrid was disappointing. She was introduced all fierce and ready to fight. But eventually gets dumbed down, as a mere love interest of Hiccup. Astrid’s characters could have gotten more layers to it, given how fantastic spectacle she is to witness. The courage disappears, soon after Hiccup takes her for a ride on the Night Fury.
The supporting cast adds vibrancy to the world of Berk: Nick Frost is perfectly cast as Gobber the Belch, the village blacksmith and dragon-fighting mentor; Gabriel Howell plays the brash rival Snotlout Jorgenson; and Julian Dennison brings warmth to the role of Hiccup’s gentle friend, Fishlegs. Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn deliver chaotic sibling charm as Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, while Peter Serafinowicz brings authority as Spitelout, Snotlout’s father and Stoick’s second-in-command. Ruth Codd, Murray McArthur, and Naomi Wirthner round out the cast as key villagers.
With sweeping cinematography, grounded performances, and John Powell’s emotionally charged score, the film reimagines the world of Berk with heart, humour, and visual spectacle offering both longtime fans and new audiences a magical return to the skies.
The pacing looked a bit fabricated. To stretch it out in certain scenes did not very much round it up to fruition. While yes, energetically you do feel the emotions, things could have been cut short, to keep the coherency intact throughout. Predictability made the script suffer a bit on the edges. It was live-action, so innovation and certain twists to the narrative could have shaped it better.
Given that, it’s a fun watch for the kids. Better, bigger visuals, the lights looked enormous enough to dilate your pupils. In the end, it gives you the wings that it promises.
IWMBuzz rates it 3.5 stars.
