Movie Recommendation: “How to Train Your Dragon”

Editor’s Note: As the season winds down, the temperatures dip and the possibilities for entertainment begin to dwindle, the lure of a good movie, a crackling fire and a comfy couch is undeniable.

For those that prefer the ability to create a queue of movies that just keep coming, Netflix might be your best bet, although if you are a more spur-of-the-moment type, there are plenty of establishments in Door County that offer movie rentals. Try Bhirdos in Sister Bay, the Fish Creek BP, Main Street Market in Egg Harbor, or Family Video in Sturgeon Bay to name just a few.

Pulse contributor Brittany Jordt recommends, How to Train Your Dragon, which will be released on DVD on Oct. 15.

Underdogs appreciate How to Train Your Dragon, the story of an unusually scrawny Viking boy named Hiccup whose very existence is defined by being as much of a spasm as his name implies. Regardless of his lack of coordination, he wants to be like everyone else in the village, and fight dragons to the death. Perhaps then he can gain the admiration of a fierce young lady Viking, and of his father, who happens to be the beasty, fiery, red-haired chief of the village.

In the opening sequence of the movie, Hiccup uses a giant, homemade slingshot to take down one of the most feared dragons, a Night Fury. Trouble is, once he finds it, he can’t bring himself to kill it. As it turns out, he has more of a passion for befriending and training the dragon. Their friendship blossoms and reveals how badly his people have misjudged dragons. It won’t be easy to open the minds of the villagers; however, and Hiccup will need to muster up all his courage to face his father and prove them all wrong.

Dreamworks masters storytelling in How to Train Your Dragon, skillfully adding each detail and fitting it perfectly within the big picture puzzle. For anyone, of any age, who has ever felt a little out of place, this movie reminds us – no matter how corny it sounds – that it’s what’s on the inside that counts