This year’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon proved itself a box-office success. Audiences enjoyed traveling to this world of Berk in a new format, the film grossing over $600 million worldwide. While a technical marvel, it’s hard to know what to say about this remake for one reason. 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon is essentially the same movie as its animated counterpart. The story follows a young Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames), living on the Isle of Berk with his Viking father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Trained to fight and kill dragons, Hiccup becomes friends with a dangerous dragon known as a night fury. When these two beings meet, they discover that there might be a better future for them both besides a path of violence.
If you’d like to read about How to Train Your Dragon as the theatrical release, head over to the initial theatrical spoiler-free review from EoM Contributor Andrew Eisneman.
Something needs to be made clear about How to Train Your Dragon. There is nothing terrible about it. It’s a handsomely mounted, entertaining, and rollicking adventure film made with love. Dean DeBlois’s passion for this reimaging, which he also directed, shines through. Technically, the film is a visual feast with some sweeping sequences. Particularly, anything involving dragons taking flight can truly take viewers’ breath away. The care taken in these sequences (especially in the third act flight sequences) proves highly enjoyable.
L-R: Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn), Astrid (Nico Parker), Ruffntut (Bronwyn James), Fishlegs (Julian Dennison) and Gobber (Nick Frost) in Universal Pictures’ live-action HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures. © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Being an almost shot-for-shot remake of the animated film, a difficult element to judge is the performances. To be clear, that is not to say any performance in this remake can be considered harmful. The problem is that it feels like actors reenacting the original animated film in a play-like setting. Everyone nails their part, but no one does much to differentiate themselves from their animated counterpart. I do want to shine particular praise on Nico Parker (Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) as Astrid and Gerard Butler (Law Abiding Citizen; How to Train Your Dragon) as Stoick the Vast who both clearly understood the theatricality of the material and whose performances also feel the most faithful to those in the original film. In the case of Mason Thames (The Black Phone) as Hiccup, the results feel different.
Hiccup in the original animated film is a nerdy, reserved, and hopeful Viking. In this 2025 version, Thames as our live-action Hiccup does not carry that same energy. It makes it harder to connect with him as a protagonist. Admittedly, this issue exists more in the film’s earlier portion than in its latter half. As Hiccup becomes attached to his dragon, whom he names Toothless, Thames showcases more heart in his performance. It’s a rare case of the performances’ destination being more satisfying than the journey.
With this being a review of the 4K Blu-ray release, only one question remains. Does this physical release justify a purchase? The short answer is a relatively quick and easy “yes.” As mentioned earlier, Dean DeBlois has carefully recreated a shot-for-shot remake of his original film. In a 4K format, the sweeping spectacle of those moments is undeniably compelling and entertaining. Especially in some of the darker story updates (particularly in the action set pieces), it gives the film an added layer of tension. For those who have grown up with the original movie, this 4K release could provide enough aesthetic pleasure to make it worth your time.
L-R: Writer-director Dean DeBlois and actors Mason Thames and Nico Parker on the set of Universal Pictures’ live-action HOT TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. Photo Credit: Helen Sloan. © Universal Studios.
That is not to account for a variety of behind-the-scenes featurettes, director’s commentary, deleted scenes, and even a gag reel. After having watched all of this material, one thought remains apparent: all involved, both in front of and behind the camera, showcased an evident love for the previous adaptations. To narrow that sentiment down to one featurette, it’s best surmised in the 45-minute “Love and Legacy: Making How to Train Your Dragon.” That featurette primarily discusses the “why” behind DeBlois wanting to make the film and the honor this cast had in bringing it to life. While it doesn’t give answers one may hope for, it’s still hard not to appreciate the passion exerted by those involved.
2025’s How to Train Your Dragon is an enjoyable live-action remake of an animated classic. Granted, it suffers from the one cardinal movie sin of struggling to justify its existence. There’s a lot of visual splendor on display (even on my 4K television), which helped to compensate for the familiarity of the story. If you weren’t already a fan of the original film, this remake may not do anything to convince you it’s a worthwhile purchase, but, thankfully, with a bounty of special features, those willing to take the ride (pick it up) won’t be disappointed.
How to Train Your Dragon Special Features:
- Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Dean DeBlois
- Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Writer/Director Dean DeBlois
- Gag Reel
- Love and Legacy: Making How to Train Your Dragon – Go behind the scenes to see how the beloved characters and intricate fantasy world were brought to the live-action medium.
- Building Berk – Walk onto the set of How to Train Your Dragon and take in the scale, detail, and heart that went into building Berk.
- Dreaming Up the Dragons – A glimpse at the technology, artistry, and imagination involved in bringing life-like dragons to the screen.
- Fit for a Viking – Witness the elaborate transformations the cast made to embody the Vikings we see in the film.
- Forbidden Friendship with Introductions by Writer/Director Dean DeBlois – Watch Mason Thames perform the full Forbidden Friendship sequence with a puppeteer in the early stages of creating one of the film’s most iconic scenes.
- Test Drive with Introduction by Writer/Director Dean DeBlois – Hold on tight as we join Hiccup on his first flight with Toothless, and see the various elements that came together to construct the thrilling scene.
- Exploring the Isle of Berk at Epic Universe – Explore How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and discover an island where Vikings and fire-breathing dragons exist together in harmony.
Available on VOD and digital July 15th, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD August 12th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Universal Pictures How to Train Your Dragon website.
Share this:
Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
Leave a Reply