“I know, Im waaay behind (by my standards at least) in seeing this movie. Here’s my chronological list of excuses. First, I planned to see it opening weekend. I got back in town from Texas trip 2010 #1 the day it opened, and I woulda had plenty of time for a matinee before the Spurs/Celts game that Sunday. But, the roomie wanted me to see it with her, and for a few different reasons that was gonna hafta get postponed a bit. The day before I leave for Texas trip 2010 #2, she comes home and announces that she just saw it with her bf. So I resolved to take my baby cousin to see it while I was at home. But then the timing didnt work out. The only chance we woulda had to go was on Monday night, and thats DWTS night for me. No, I didnt totally abandon family, so I had said baby cousin come over to watch the show with me. She couldnt have been less interested. Decided I’d just go during the week this past week, but the roomie wanted to see it again so we agreed to postpone it til the weekend. All of that worked out rather well in the end cause I had to go buy some furniture. So that meant I was gonna head over to Jordan’s Furniture this afternoon, which just so happens to have an IMAX theater in it that is currently playing Dragon. Yes, so bit delayed, but oh so very much worth the wait.
I thought that overall it was a \m/ good movie. And this isnt just an inverse expectations thing. I had actually high expectations from all the buzz I’d been hearing, and for once it actually measured up. Im not even sure where to start gushing.
Great characters, on so many levels. For one, Im pretty big on Vikings, given that’s half of my heritage (Hispanic being the other). And its also the half I wasnt immersed in growing up, so I do have a genuine interest in it. From the comment early on about how stubborn Vikings are (which is dead on if my daddy and I are any indication) I knew I was in for somethin’ good. Absolutely adored Hiccup. Very relatable, funny, sweet, and perfectly cast by Jay Baruchel. Also pleased to see, er I mean hear, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (making his second appearance this weekend for me), Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, and Craig Ferguson.
The dragon characters were fantastic as well. A friend of mine told me that for her, as a cat owner, the movie took on a whole new level. I hafta concur with that. Toothless very much reminded me of my younger cat, Nosferatu.
Was also rather impressed with the story. Yes, its kinda basic, but they did have me in suspense at key moments. There were also some twists I didnt see coming, which given how many movies I see, its hard to surprise me. Great dialogue too. Its so easy to just have throwaway lines in a kiddie movie, but it was quotably good.
The visual was phenomenal. Yes, the extra depth from the third dimension was worth it, and there was some fun with things like ashes and such appearing to fall over the audience. I loved how expressive the characters were animated, and some of the dragons (especially in closeup) were absolutely gorgeous.
Guess it goes without saying at this point, but def recommend this one, especially to those of you with kids and/or a Peter Pan complex.
How to Train Your Dragon – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/