How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Edwin Tan

28 Jan 2026 — 1 min read

Score: 6 / 10
Category: Movie
Platform: HBO Max

One-line verdict

A competent and visually solid live-action adaptation that leans heavily on familiarity and nostalgia rather than reinvention.

What worked

Watching this specifically to compare animation versus live action makes sense, and on that front, the film mostly delivers.
The CGI is uneven at first, especially during Toothless’ early aggression toward Hiccup, which felt off and slightly undercooked.
Thankfully, it recovers. As the movie goes on, the visual work improves and eventually becomes quite impressive.
Seeing Toothless “come alive” in live action is genuinely cool, even if you already know the story beats.
Gerard Butler is solid as ever. I’ve been a fan since 300, and it’s ironic seeing him now as a Viking hero after being the face of Greek heroism.

What broke

The story flow is extremely familiar.
Tame the monster, monster becomes friend, monster fights alongside you — a formula we’ve all seen before.
The movie doesn’t really challenge or reinterpret that structure.
If you’re expecting a bold reimagining, this isn’t it.

What others are saying

Praise for the improved CGI in later acts.
Mixed reactions to how necessary the live-action version actually is.
Many see it as respectful but safe.

The section below discusses plot details.

Why this landed where it did

I went into this out of curiosity rather than excitement. I wanted to see how the animated world translated into live action, and for the most part, it works well enough.

The nostalgia factor definitely plays a role here. I can’t fully recall the animated version in detail, but seeing Toothless realised in live action still carries emotional weight.

That said, the movie doesn’t do enough to justify itself beyond that. It’s familiar, safe, and structurally predictable. Because of that, this lands at a 6 for me. Enjoyable, visually decent, but ultimately carried more by recognition than innovation.

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