- 23,800
- Philippines
Fair Disclosure: I only watched this movie because I had a sizeable bonus from a friend selling fifty of my T-shirts (first earnings ever from sale of my artwork... errh... at least first since high school...) and I felt like bringing my daughter to her first 3D movie. Since "Avatar" would have been too scary (and too adult) and we'd already watched "Alice" in 2D, HTTYD seemed like a safe, innocuous bet. I really wasn't expecting much of this movie. The trailers seemed a bit shallow and the premise juvenile, but it's Dreamworks, right? Can't be that bad.
The nice thing about having low expectations is that you're more impressed by the actual results than you would be if you were expecting something less. I have a feeling that even if I were expecting something more, I would have loved this film.
Like "Shrek", Dreamwork's breakthrough animation, HTTYD is based on a children's book of the same name. Just like Shrek, they've altered the story quite a bit. And just like Shrek (x2), the alterations don't ruin the story. I actually think the movie story stands pretty well on its own.
HTTYD follows the story of Hiccough (Vikings think ugly names ward off evil spirits), a clumsy young Viking lad who's too scrawny to lift a warhammer, but whose inventive mind comes up with some amazing contraptions. Unfortunately, they don't always work. In fact, his actions often have unintended and disastrous consequences, much to the disappointment of his father, Stoic, leader of the Viking tribe. Now Stoic, who could crush rocks with his head as a lad, doesn't understand the boy and wishes he were more Viking and less... well... him. So they decide to put him through Dragon training (that's dragon-slaying training... not dragon-training... training).
However, Hiccough's desire to become a full-fledged Viking takes a bizarre turn when, hunting a deadly dragon on his own, instead of killing it, he frees it. Striking up a friendship and a partnership with the beast, he discovers that all the lore and knowledge that the Vikings have built up over the generations regarding dragons is incomplete and flawed.
This much, you could tell from the trailers. What happens after is pleasantly surprising. HTTYD has themes of growing up, responsibility, honesty and understanding. On the understanding point, at least one reviewer has likened it to Pocahontas. Which works, if Pocahontas included a kinky three-way love relationship between the Indian Princess, the Pilgrim and his horse. The message is less a blunt blow to the head ("Indians are hot and we should respect nature!") and more like "see what happens when you try to view a problem from a different point of view." I know that recent animations have laid it on really thick with the "humans/westerners are evil, exploit nature and kill natives/aliens/whatever for selfish reasons". Which is why "Avatar" drew the "Pocahontas" card. But really, that's about as far off-base as declaring that "Avatar" is a political commentary on Afghanistan. In HTTYD, the Vikings are simple people who are being harrassed and assaulted by dragons.
Think of dragons as being more like wild wolves than Indians... because that's really what this movie is about. It could well have been retitled: "A Boy and His Dragon" and it would still be right. Indeed, it should appeal to pet lovers. It has that wistful feeling of lost youth and innocence about it that Boy and Dog movies often have.
All before the "growing up" part. HTTYD is an action movie. There's a lot of fire, brimstone, flying cutlery, kissing and the like. While it's aimed at kids, it has a serious side to it. Characters get hurt. Some even get maimed, permanently. In fact, the ending has a bittersweet tinge to it that comes as totally unexpected given this is a children's movie (you'll have to watch it to find out). While the usual action-adventure-fantasy cliches are there (the romantic flying scene, the "rescue scene", the "ain't that cool" epilogue), the story and characters are warm and believable and the movie is enjoyable not only as a rollercoaster ride (as Avatar and Alice were, mostly) but as a genuinely interesting family film.
Much like "Shrek". And unlike Shrek, it doesn't rely on fart jokes, performances by famous comedians and sly adult humor (the in-jokes that are there purely to keep parents from falling asleep). The humor comes much more naturally. The closest it even comes to a cultural reference is the snotty kid who chatters away on dragon traits and battle statistics like he's reading Top Trump cards (or D&D character sheets) from memory. And it works much better because of that, giving the movie the timeless air that good kids movies usually have. This could be one of the surprise hits of the season... and is much better and a much more mature film than many of their previous efforts. Of the effects-heavy animations this season, this one feels the most natural. It's not a perfect movie, but I enjoyed it enough that I have a hard time remembering anything bad that really stood out.
If you've got kids, watch it. If you don't have kids but enjoy a good "Boy and his Dog" film, some light fantasy and a good action comedy, watch it. If you don't have anything good to do this weekend... well... give it a try. It might just surprise you.
The nice thing about having low expectations is that you're more impressed by the actual results than you would be if you were expecting something less. I have a feeling that even if I were expecting something more, I would have loved this film.
Like "Shrek", Dreamwork's breakthrough animation, HTTYD is based on a children's book of the same name. Just like Shrek, they've altered the story quite a bit. And just like Shrek (x2), the alterations don't ruin the story. I actually think the movie story stands pretty well on its own.
HTTYD follows the story of Hiccough (Vikings think ugly names ward off evil spirits), a clumsy young Viking lad who's too scrawny to lift a warhammer, but whose inventive mind comes up with some amazing contraptions. Unfortunately, they don't always work. In fact, his actions often have unintended and disastrous consequences, much to the disappointment of his father, Stoic, leader of the Viking tribe. Now Stoic, who could crush rocks with his head as a lad, doesn't understand the boy and wishes he were more Viking and less... well... him. So they decide to put him through Dragon training (that's dragon-slaying training... not dragon-training... training).
However, Hiccough's desire to become a full-fledged Viking takes a bizarre turn when, hunting a deadly dragon on his own, instead of killing it, he frees it. Striking up a friendship and a partnership with the beast, he discovers that all the lore and knowledge that the Vikings have built up over the generations regarding dragons is incomplete and flawed.
This much, you could tell from the trailers. What happens after is pleasantly surprising. HTTYD has themes of growing up, responsibility, honesty and understanding. On the understanding point, at least one reviewer has likened it to Pocahontas. Which works, if Pocahontas included a kinky three-way love relationship between the Indian Princess, the Pilgrim and his horse. The message is less a blunt blow to the head ("Indians are hot and we should respect nature!") and more like "see what happens when you try to view a problem from a different point of view." I know that recent animations have laid it on really thick with the "humans/westerners are evil, exploit nature and kill natives/aliens/whatever for selfish reasons". Which is why "Avatar" drew the "Pocahontas" card. But really, that's about as far off-base as declaring that "Avatar" is a political commentary on Afghanistan. In HTTYD, the Vikings are simple people who are being harrassed and assaulted by dragons.
Think of dragons as being more like wild wolves than Indians... because that's really what this movie is about. It could well have been retitled: "A Boy and His Dragon" and it would still be right. Indeed, it should appeal to pet lovers. It has that wistful feeling of lost youth and innocence about it that Boy and Dog movies often have.
All before the "growing up" part. HTTYD is an action movie. There's a lot of fire, brimstone, flying cutlery, kissing and the like. While it's aimed at kids, it has a serious side to it. Characters get hurt. Some even get maimed, permanently. In fact, the ending has a bittersweet tinge to it that comes as totally unexpected given this is a children's movie (you'll have to watch it to find out). While the usual action-adventure-fantasy cliches are there (the romantic flying scene, the "rescue scene", the "ain't that cool" epilogue), the story and characters are warm and believable and the movie is enjoyable not only as a rollercoaster ride (as Avatar and Alice were, mostly) but as a genuinely interesting family film.
Much like "Shrek". And unlike Shrek, it doesn't rely on fart jokes, performances by famous comedians and sly adult humor (the in-jokes that are there purely to keep parents from falling asleep). The humor comes much more naturally. The closest it even comes to a cultural reference is the snotty kid who chatters away on dragon traits and battle statistics like he's reading Top Trump cards (or D&D character sheets) from memory. And it works much better because of that, giving the movie the timeless air that good kids movies usually have. This could be one of the surprise hits of the season... and is much better and a much more mature film than many of their previous efforts. Of the effects-heavy animations this season, this one feels the most natural. It's not a perfect movie, but I enjoyed it enough that I have a hard time remembering anything bad that really stood out.
If you've got kids, watch it. If you don't have kids but enjoy a good "Boy and his Dog" film, some light fantasy and a good action comedy, watch it. If you don't have anything good to do this weekend... well... give it a try. It might just surprise you.
