Z/Web

The title pretty much explains everything about the story. The only thing I didn’t know was that it was about “Vikings” (I put that in quotes since they are so modern they’re hardly Viking at all). So it’s a Viking sea village that’s always had problems with dragon attacks, and there’s the spindly chief’s son who wants to be a warrior but is more of a wimpy inventor instead, and after he accidentally captures a dragon, they become friends, and duh, save the village. Storywise, there’s little going on here. It’s competent and pleasant, but not a Pixar story. Animiation-wise, I wasn’t impressed: except for the landscapes, which are fantastic, the people and animals are much too cartoony. What makes this work are the three-dimensional flying sequences. I will say that this is the first 3D film I’ve seen where the 3D is actually worth it (yes, that includes Avatar). When the boy is learning to fly the dragon it really feels like a roller coaster ride, like you’re on the dragon with him, whizzing past rocky cliffs and swooping through the clouds. Fortunately, there’s quite of bit of this sort of action (perhaps as much as half the film), which makes up for the ordinary story and duller parts where the 3D is meaningless. Overall, that makes this film a win. It’s pleasant and harmless otherwise, but in 3D it’s extraordinary and worth seeing.