How To Train Your Audience

This movie, kicked Kick Ass's ass this week. I don't know if Kick Ass is any good, nor do I care. I'll see it, be disappointed or not, and then move on with my life--because that's the sort of movie it seems like. But How To Train Your Dragon, three weeks in, matched Kick Ass at the theatre.

I saw it a week ago, matinee, with only hobos like me on a Wednesday afternoon. It's a great movie, deserving of the love its getting. No, seriously, this movie has... fuck... heart.

The movie stars Jay Baruchel, of Undeclared fame, but also Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. In terms of comedy, fairly solid cast. Baruchel, sort of untested in big films, does a voice, not that extreme, but not his own, and after the first 5 minutes you'll forget the voice-acting completely. Voice cast, excellent job here.

The real problem with the film is the script. It's not bad, its just good by numbers. It's a story about realizing difference, and the community (as focalised through the father) coming to respect what "the other" has to offer. The family dynamics here are played, done and done, and the emotional arc of the film has a clear trajectory from the start. But it's a kid film, and the last 10 minutes surprised me enough in terms of message that it warmed a place in my heart that normally stays cold. In the end, the film is radical and emotional enough that I give it more credit than it may be worth. Messages worth sending, really worth sending for kids, get a free pass for me.

But the most important part of this movie is the dragon. No it's the 3D!

Wait, I can't have in-fighting in one review. Let's set this out. The 3D is fantastic. Makes the flight more sensational than any flight I've seen in film. These scenes are emotionally evocative due in part (great part) because of the 3D's power. The flight scenes in the film are always very emotional moments. They have their metaphorical purpose, but the visuals add a vitality to them that I think really adds to their impact. These flight scenes are emotionally charged, and the 3D, as it adds to the experience, adds to the emotional involvement.

But, the DRAGON! Yes, the dragon is a cat. And that's enough for a lot of people. Slagathor, and people around me continually mentioned throughout the film, Oh, he's soooo cute!. And he is. Toothless is adorable, because he's a big kitty. His bum moves like a cat, he plays like a cat, and he's distrustful of humans like a cat. It helps that I just had a cat die that really was the feline epitome of this sort of representation. Its sort of heartbreaking to see a filmic/draconic version of his cuteness, but that's neither here nor there. This dragon is cute, and that's one of the huge selling points of the flick. THE DRAGON IS FUCKING ADORABLE! Simple as that.

So if you want your CGI cartoon to be a success, put in a cuddle character. It's why Monsters Inc. was one of my favourite Pixar flicks for so long.

Boo!