I’m sitting here watching ‘How to train your dragon’ for the third or fourth time (not bad for a movie that JUST came out on DVD … sheesh).  My kids LOVE it – which makes sense.  A movie about a boy getting a pet dragon and saving the day is pretty awesome.

So, in the interest of keeping my sanity, I thought I’d post a quick review.  It’s actually really well written, fun to watch, full of adventure, a great (although unoriginal) storyline, quick paced and visually stunning.  It’s definitely intended to be for an audience of all ages, not just kids – it’s on my short list to show the next time I need a movie for middle school kids!

On the down side, it has several intense scenes.  The first time we watched it we had to fast forward several times because it got too scary for our four year old and two year old.  Even the second time around it was still freaking Noah (four year old) out.  It definitely looks like the loved characters (boy and dragon) will die at several points, and they both sustain some serious injuries over the course of the film.  At the same time, the bond that is created between the two of them, and even the reaction of my kids liking the idea that the two handicapped characters (by the end of the film) lean on each other to become the leaders is a great message about handicaps being turned into strengths.

So, all that to say, it’s a great movie and a lot of fun to watch … just a little much for the younger crowd!