Dean DeBlois is back at the helm, torch in hand, for the 2025 How to Train Your Dragon — a live-action reimagining of the beloved 2010 animated classic. And no, this isn’t your childhood Viking cosplay rerun. This version trades DreamWorks’ painterly skies and expressive dragons for Icelandic vistas, tangible leatherwork, and a Toothless that somehow manages to look both adorable and slightly terrifying in photo-realism.
Mason Thames takes flight as Hiccup, and he nails the tightrope walk of insecure dreamer and reluctant hero. His performance has a quiet gravity to it, and he brings just enough gawky vulnerability to make Hiccup’s bond with Toothless feel earned, not inherited from the animated legacy. Opposite him, Nico Parker plays Astrid with steely precision. She’s no sidekick — Parker’s Astrid is cunning, fierce, and gives the role a stoic maturity that adds depth to their budding romance.
And yes, Gerard Butler returns as Stoick — at least his voice does — booming through the clouds like a Norse god who misplaced his battle axe. It’s a smart move that anchors the film to its animated roots without feeling like a karaoke remake.
The visual effects team deserves knighthood for what they’ve done with Toothless. He’s still the expressive, head-tilting scene-stealer we love, but now rendered with such lifelike detail you half expect him to blink and purr in your theater seat. The aerial sequences are, once again, breathtaking — if not a touch too dark in places (curse you, “gritty realism”).
John Powell’s soaring score returns in full force, and thank Odin for that. The music buoys the film’s more exposition-heavy moments and amplifies the aerial sequences into goosebump territory. The flying scenes? They’ll have your stomach in your throat and your heart in your hands.
Although this film has been given new life, the desire for the type of humor found in the original saga overshadows the lively feeling of this remake. The banter and immaturity that the Viking teens had in the original are barely registered, which makes the film feel cautious and that the actors weren’t given the same creative freedom to be weird.
RHFC Rating: 8.5/10 🍿
