DreamWorks recently decided to follow in Disney’s well-trodden footsteps and create a live-action remake that nobody asked for.
The studio released the live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon” on Friday, and so far, audiences are responding positively to it. Given the commercial and artistic success of the original 2010 animated film, with its charming characters, original world-building and unforgettable film score, it comes as no surprise that recreating the original film nearly frame-by-frame would also be a success. Except this time, the people are real, and the dragons look a little bit less fake.
It would be a lie to say the live-action film wasn’t just as enjoyable as the original, aside from some severe miscasting. However, the problem lies in the necessity of the film’s creation, which seems nonexistent.
Although nobody asked for this remake, people’s curiosity will get the best of them, and ultimately, DreamWorks will achieve its singular goal of making bank. All audiences are left with is a glorified cosplay of one of their favorite childhood films, along with some character and dialogue modifications for the sake of political correctness.
Despite that, credit is due in some areas. For one, Mason Thames played the protagonist Hiccup faithfully, and if anything good comes from this remake, hopefully it’s the advancement of his acting career. In addition, Toothless looked adorable as ever, and tears flowed freely during the majestic flight scenes.
Aside from the film’s main issue deriving from its very existence, it also compromised some other aspects. For one, Hiccup’s posse of frenemies was utterly miscast from head to toe. “Ruffnut” and “Tuffnut,” meant to be twins, looked nothing like each other. On top of that, both said lines as if they were delivering the punchline on a poorly-scripted kids’ show, not a major motion picture. Additionally, Nico Parker, who played Hiccup’s love interest Astrid, brought little depth to the character with her flat line delivery and forced emotions.
It’s about time movie-lovers stop settling for regurgitated stories in different fonts and demand the artistic excellence that once defined the works of large production companies like Disney and DreamWorks. What if the millions of dollars funneled into unnecessary remakes were used to fund filmmakers with original ideas?
If audiences want to relive “How to Train Your Dragon,” they should pay $3.99 to rent the original film on streaming services, rather than $20 at a theater (with an $8 fountain drink and $12 popcorn, no less).
3 Night Furies out of 5
