How To Train Your Dragon 2025

This was the movie I most wanted to see this year - a live action remake of my favourite animated film, which was released in 2010.

The publicity campaign started ramping up a few months ago, which is when I got a good look at the cast, CGI dragons and various scenes.

And I knew immediately that this was going to be a hit.

3 weeks after opening, it has grossed $464 million worldwide, and is still going strong, thanks to the upcoming 4 July holiday. 

I watched it 2 days after returning from my travels.The movie was so good, I forgot all about my jet lag and exhaustion for 2 hours.

With a $150 million budget, the production value is superb, especially the dragons which are beautifully rendered.

The most important character - Toothless, of course - is absolutely flawless in every way!

The supporting cast - including Gerard Butler and Nico Parker - are great, but the film entirely hinges on Mason Thames' performance as Hiccup.

And he does an AMAZING job.

Kudos to director Dean Deblois for selecting him from a pool of more than 300 hopefuls.

Mason fits the role perfectly, and watching Hiccup evolve from a mousey, awkward wallflower to a full-fledged hero was thrilling.

Maron's scenes with Toothless are also a testament to his acting skills. I watched behind-the-scenes footage of him interacting with puppets for these sequences, yet he's able to display such raw emotion, tugging at our heartstrings and making us reach for our tissues.

He impressed me so much that I rewatched Black Phone ( I saw it a few years ago but didn't like it ).

This round, just for Mason alone, it was time well spent.

HTTYD 2 is already in the works, with rumous that Cate Blanchett may play Valka, Hiccup's mother. ( She voiced the character in the 2014 animated version. )

Crossing my fingers that it will happen!

I'm also now a big Mason Thames fan, even more so after he revealed he loves River Phoenix and Pacific Rim - like me!

Hope he'll continue to make sound career choices and do well in the industry. 

Finally, don't forget John Powell's iconic film score, which gets updated for the remake.

I listened to the 2010 version repeatedly when I was in Iceland.

The combination of Celtic style music with beautiful scenery made me incredibly happy. :)

If you haven't watched the movie yet, it's still screening at cineplexes, so catch it ASAP.