'How to Train Your Dragon' Live-Action Honest Reviews: From "Pointless" to "Great"

On Friday, June 13, How to Train Your Dragon live-action hit theaters, and while some people are genuinely happy to return to the cinemas to witness the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless once again, others are getting tired: after all, we are yet to digest Lilo & Stitch.

Still, the remakes are already different from each other: unlike Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon is already described by pretty much everyone as "competent" and "inoffensive", in the sense that it's a faithful adaptation that doesn't dare to change the original. Lilo & Stitch faced criticism from fans for some of the tweaks it allowed itself: from changing Nani's character to leaving Gantu out and making Jumba the big villain.

How to Train Your Dragon sticks to the formula that made the original story successful in the first place. The story is the same: Hiccup (portrayed by Mason Thames) struggles to prove he's worthy to his father Stoic (Gerard Butler) and pretty much everyone else, but it's really tough in a viking society that hates dragons just because. After meeting Toothless and learning how to train him, Hiccup changes everything for himself and for his community.

Are fans happy? Well, it's complicated.

'How to Train Your Dragon' Remake Was "Pointless" From the Beginning, Some Say

Looks like there is no way for live-action remakes of the classics to hit the right spot: if they dare to change anything, they "ruin the whole story", but if they don't, then why have they even been made? Many people online are asking this exact question right now.

"Everything I've seen of this just makes it look completely pointless. It's the same movie, but now in live action, and weaker. And on top of that, it uses so much CGI that it completely ruins the point of it being in live action. The only "live action" things in most frames is just the actors," said Redditor ToothlessFTW.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey agrees, writing:

"It may not have been made with generative AI but it certainly replicates its process, scraping images from a pre-existing artwork and re-rendering them with the prompt, “make it more grounded and more realistic”. In practice, it’s merely blander and greyer. You have to wonder if studios are trying to prep us for the inevitable."

Other fans have no mercy, either.

"Another useless waste of resources invested in something that simultaneously cost more than the original and is somehow still worse," added Redditor Not_pukicho.

Is 'How to Train Your Dragon' Better Than 'Lilo & Stitch'? Yes, For Some

However, many people admit that the new live-action hasn't at least butchered the original story, and that's already a huge plus.

"Honestly I'd take the shot for shot remake than what they did to stitch though. Changing the fundamental points of the original for new content and getting backlash for that or doing a shot for shot. This seems to be the question DreamWorks and disney are dealing with," Redditor Kajipyro said.

Collider's Maggie Lovitt sees the shot-for-shot strategy as a new way to please the viewers:

"I was surprised to discover just how much of a pure remake the new film is. With a script and visuals that so closely match the original, the live-action film easily solidifies itself as an epic and thrilling crowd-pleaser."

Other people who are yet to see the movie are ready to believe that this thing alone is something that makes How to Train Your Dragon better than Lilo & Stitch.

"So, everything I'm seeing is that this movie is going to be great. I'm judging off all the people saying it's the same movie just live action. I thought that's what we wanted with remakes. For example, something thats not lilo and stitch," suggested Redditor Danny_Fenton.

Some fans are perfectly fine with the live-action as it is, with just some little exceptions.

"I might get attacked for this and don’t get me wrong, I thought the live action was pretty decent; but I still couldn’t get myself to like Astrid as her appearance still bugged me. I was able to sort of get used to the other’s like Rough, Tough, and Snoutlout though," argued Redditor Total_Front6974.

How to Train Your Dragon is currently in theatres, so no matter whose side you're on, you can go and see for yourself.