How To Train Your Dragon  3D (PG)

Life’s tough for the Vikings who live on the Island of Berk. It’s always colds and if it rains for 15 hours, that’s a good day!  It also has a reptile problem. A big reptile problem in the form of the dragons that have been attacking the village for generations, stealing the sheep and burning the houses with their flame breath. For decades there has been a fierce war between the Vikings and the dragons with many lives lost on both sides. Dragons that are captured are kept in pens to train young Vikings in how to fight them. There seems no end to the cycle. Young Hiccup dreams of becoming a dragon fighter, but he’s more brains than brawn. And a little bit gangly and clumsy too. All of which makes him an embarrassment to his dad, Stoick The Vast, who also happens to be the chief of the tribe. Not to mention a laughing stock among the other Viking teens. Which means he’ll probably never win the heart of aggressive  tomboy Astrid. But then, during the latest attack, he uses his new invention to bring down a dragon. Not just any dragon, but a pitch-black Night Fury, the most legendary and most dangerous of them; one that has never been seen and about which nothing is known . At last, Hiccup can prove he’s a real Viking. Except, when he finds the wounded creature, he can’t bring himself to kill it. Instead, he sets it free. Having realised he can’t kill dragons after all, it’s a bit unfortunate that the tribe’s dragon master has finally persuaded Stoick to let Hiccup join the training programme. Now, Hiccup must learn how to fight dragons while secretly befriending the Night Fury, which he names Toothless, building it an artificial tail fin to replace the one it’s lost, and eventually saddling and riding it. In the process, he realised that everything the Vikings thought they knew about these creatures is wrong. They’re actually affectionate and trainable. Boy and beast form a bond of friendship, but eventually that secret will be discovered. Accused of betraying the tribe, can Hiccup, with the help of Astrid and the other trainees, convince Stoick of the truth before he and the other warriors destroy the dragons’ nest? Based on the children’s best-seller by Cressida Cowell, this thrilling animated action adventure has a story formula that’s as old as any boy and his dog/horse tale.  It also often feels a lot like Lilo And Stitch, which was made by the same directors. Indeed, Toothless and Stitch could almost be cousins.  But the Viking and dragons setting gives it a real freshness and the use of 3D to give the film depth is breathtaking, especially in the thrilling flying sequences where you feel you’re  soaring the skies alongside Hiccup and Toothless.  It’s even more awesome if you can see it at an IMAX cinema. Some of the battle sequences might be a bit violent, dark and scary for youngsters, but there’s also a huge amount of comedy, especially in the dragon fighting training where Hiccup uses the secrets he’s learned to tame the creatures rather than hurt them. The scenes between him and Toothless are also very sweet and guaranteed to have the boys as well as the girls getting all misty eyed.  With its positive message about overcoming ignorance and fear of what you don’t understand, and being true to who you really are, this comes massively recommended. Just be warned, the kids will all be wanting their own pet dragon now! BBFC Rating: Contains frequent mild threat Let’s  Go With The Children Rating: Suitable for 6+ By Mike Davies