With Disney has well over a decade of live-action adaptations of its famed animated features under its belt. It’s a trend still going strong, judging by the live-action “Lilo and Stitch” box-office numbers.
Now, Dreamworks Animation is trying to cash in on the trend with a live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon” opening this Friday. Reviews are now in and with 49 counted, the film is up to 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and 61/100 on Metacritic.
The softly positive reviews suggest the film is a very loyal adaptation of the original work, and therein lies its problem which is the same as all the films of this ilk – there’s no real reason for it to exist. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“It’s hard to improve on the first movie, though the last act looks positively iconic in this new incarnation, unlocking the expressionistic power of “Heavy Metal” toons and Boris Vallejo paintings.” – Peter DeBruge, Variety
“That [director Dean DeBlois] can still find excitement and joy in this well-tread story is a testament to both his work and source material. No one needs a live-action remake, but ones this faithful and sweet are not the problem.” – Kate Erbland, Indiewire
“It’s the kind of immersive sensation and giddy wish fulfilment that might just have you forgetting momentarily to breathe and, maybe more importantly, that you’re still in a movie theater.” – Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
“It’s clearly made with real love and care, but shows far too much deference to its progenitor. Even in a remake, we need more originality and less playing the hits.” – Helen O’Hara, Empire
“Within all its rigid recitation, there’s a heart and soul that demonstrates how DeBlois has managed to get so much mileage out of the loving story of a Viking boy and the dragon he befriends.” – Eric Goldman, IGN
“All that’s really changed is that How to Train Your Dragon is now distinctly less charming and less playful than before, with even its pièce de résistance Toothless losing some of the cute factor.” – Clarisse Loughrey, Independent
“Rather than trying to train something new, How To Train Your Dragon is riding an already proven beast… It can’t reach those old heights, let alone any new ones. And it doesn’t try to, nor does its audience really want it to.” – James Grebey, AV Club
“The old saying goes: ‘Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.’ How to Train Your Dragon delivers the bare minimum to warrant its recreation.” – Hannah Flint, Time Out
“How to Train Your Dragon” is expected to have a domestic opening weekend of around $80-100 million and debuts in cinemas everywhere this Friday.
