How to Make Your Family Movie
How to Train Your Dragon is hands-down the best family movie I have seen in a very long time. Mostly because it is a darn good movie without the "Family" qualifier, much like Emperor's New Groove. There is a lot more wordplay in the movie than you might expect from something aimed at a younger audience, and almost all of the jokes are still funny once you're past the age of 13. Plus, it's about a bunch of Vikings, and that's the next best thing to making a movie about a bunch of Dwarves (high fantasy style, not Snow White or Howard Stern style).
For a movie that is essentially about a teenager and his daddy issues, it manages to actually have a decent story that doesn't go straight for all the worst genre tropes. It's one of those movies where you see what's coming, but it still makes getting there enjoyable. Yes, the protagonist gets picked on because he is "different," and yes, the dorky kid becomes cool by the end, but it happens in a far more believable way than your standard "The popular kids suddenly think the chess club is cool since I have discovered self-confidence!" It may compress the acceptance period in the interest of keeping the movie's pacing, but it keeps it entertaining, and doesn't (in my estimation, at least) fall into the trap of preaching that the other characters who initially doubted and/or disagreed with the protagonist were wrong for doing so. I found it interesting that, for the most part, the movie allowed them to actually be right.
Really, it's refreshing just to see a movie that isn't cynical. Also, it's quite funny. Go see it.
For a movie that is essentially about a teenager and his daddy issues, it manages to actually have a decent story that doesn't go straight for all the worst genre tropes. It's one of those movies where you see what's coming, but it still makes getting there enjoyable. Yes, the protagonist gets picked on because he is "different," and yes, the dorky kid becomes cool by the end, but it happens in a far more believable way than your standard "The popular kids suddenly think the chess club is cool since I have discovered self-confidence!" It may compress the acceptance period in the interest of keeping the movie's pacing, but it keeps it entertaining, and doesn't (in my estimation, at least) fall into the trap of preaching that the other characters who initially doubted and/or disagreed with the protagonist were wrong for doing so. I found it interesting that, for the most part, the movie allowed them to actually be right.
Really, it's refreshing just to see a movie that isn't cynical. Also, it's quite funny. Go see it.