…And Returning to the Theaters Again and Again (A Mom’s Review)
It was years ago – too many to count now! In a darkened theater Sleepless in Seattle was showing in its first run appearance. The lights went up as the ending credits rolled – and the packed theater broke out into spontaneous applause.
I was amazed. I had never seen that before – or since.
Until I went to see How to Train Your Dragon last weekend.
This time, instead of me and my date, it was my husband and two kids – and our ages ranging from 9 to 46 years old.
And we all loved it!
So did the audience, judging from the applause that erupted the moment the credits appeared. And the rare “thank yous” the kids lavished upon us after seeing it.
Dream Works’ animated How to Train Your Dragon feature film is truly a standout among family movies, one that comes along every so often and that you instantly know MUST be a part of your permanent DVD collection.
It’s a timeless classic, with something for everyone. A heartwarming story that will leave you feeling good inside that has plenty of action adventure – this coming of age story set against a Medieval backdrop has it all.
The dragons are the enemy – or so you would think.
And poor Hiccup – the symbolically named main character – feels like a fish out of water. He was born with a slight build and a kind soul, in stark contrast to his mammoth, muscle-bound father Stoik the Vast, leader of the Vikings.
Hiccup is somewhat of an outsider, an outcast… but as he soon realizes, he was born for a great purpose. Which of course he discovers by accident!
In the middle of a battle with the dragons, Hiccup downs a night fury dragon – the most feared of the species. But when he goes to make the kill, he finds he can’t – or won’t – do it. That’s what Vikings are supposed to do, though – so therein lay one of the main conflicts of the film.
Hiccup instead forges a relationship with the dragon – learning that everything the Vikings know about dragons is wrong.
But he can hide this from the Vikings for only so long! Not too mention there is another conflict arising with an unspeakably evil, menacing force that makes even the dragons tremble with fear.
Watching Hiccup develop into the fulfillment of his true purpose makes for a heartwarming, funny, charming, and action-packed story – all the way through to an unexpected twist at the end.
How to Train Your Dragon, like most family classics, has so many lessons in it – ones that you would want your kids to learn.
For example, being different can mean that you have special talents – and even a greater destiny than your peers. That you can’t judge a book by its cover. And to have mercy on all of God’s creatures.
And the final lesson: To stand up and fight for the right things in life – even if it costs you personally.
So if you haven’t already, you might just want to load the family into the car and take them to see this movie. You’ll be glad you did, and you just might hear that all-too-rare, gushing thank you from the kids!
Overheard Thoughts