Soaring animated action in ‘Dragon’
If we learned anything from “Avatar,” it’s that giant flying beasts make lousy pets.
We also learned that the public’s appetite for 3-D is downright ravenous, especially when it comes to watching people ride giant flying beasts.
James Cameron’s “Avatar” supposedly set the bar for 3-D. But a mere three months later, DreamWorks’ latest animated offering, “How to Train Your Dragon,” contains enough dazzling imagery and bold action to make even Cameron swoon.
While not exactly Pandora, the medieval world of “How to Train Your Dragon” is filled with lush landscapes and steep ocean cliffs. But the coastal Viking village of Berk is often scorched, as the locals wage war against fire-breathing dragons.
As the village dweeb, Hiccup is a mop-topped, skinny teenager with a face full of freckles who admits he lacks “raw Vikingness.”
Hiccup, voiced by geek maestro Jay Baruchel (“She’s Out of My League”), isn’t living up to the expectations of his father, the Viking chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, channeling the warrior king he played in “300”).
“Superbad” alums Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse voice Hiccup’s teenage antagonizers, while America Ferrera plays his love interest, Astrid.
During the movie’s opening battle sequence, Hiccup misfires a cannon, which hits one of the dragons, sending it crashing into the nearby woodlands. While no one believes Hiccup’s claim that he nailed a dragon, he sets out the next morning to find his trophy.
When he discovers the injured dragon, which he nicknames Toothless, Hiccup realizes – like some sort of dragon whisperer – that these creatures are in fact timid, friendly and even playful. But convincing his fellow Vikings of this is harder than he thought.
What we have here is an exhilarating epic that mixes comedic and touching moments with some of the best action sequences ever created with CGI animation.
Like the Navi and their flying lizards, Hiccup and Toothless often soar through the skies, whipping around rock faces and skimming the ocean’s surface. In 3-D, your stomach feels as if it might drop out, a sensation that “Avatar” couldn’t quite muster.
There is no denying that 3-D technology, no matter how advanced, is still a gimmick. But even naysayers might be prone to repeating what Astrid says after taking a ride on Toothless: “OK, I admit it. This is pretty cool.”