How to Train Your Dragon

·1 hr 26 min·5 clips

Matt and Jon review the 2025 live-action 'How to Train Your Dragon,' questioning if a shot-for-shot remake was necessary.

The episode opens with casual banter between hosts Matt Hudson and Jonathan Berk about the weather and personal updates, including Matt's Father's Day and Jon's custom dog shirt. They then introduce the main review topic: the 2025 live-action 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Jon provides the synopsis and Rotten Tomatoes scores (77% critics, 98% audience). Both hosts have seen the original animated trilogy but not the Netflix series. They debate the necessity of live-action remakes, comparing it to Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'The Lion King.' Jon critiques the cast, noting Mason Thames as a good Hiccup but expressing disappointment in Julian Dennison's reduced role. Matt praises the visual effects, especially the dragon flight scenes, and John Powell's score. They discuss the film's box office success ($200 million) and its pacing, noting it's longer than the original. The review concludes with both giving it positive ratings. The episode then shifts to 'Concessions of a Cinephile,' where they draft their top five animated animal companions. Matt picks Lucifer from 'Cinderella,' Maximus from 'Tangled,' the cat from 'Flushed,' Doug from 'Up,' and Totoro. Jon mentions contenders like Toothless, Dante from 'Coco,' and characters from 'Shrek.' Next, in 'Media Consumption,' Matt discusses watching 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' and the FIFA Club World Cup. Jon talks about finishing 'Daredevil: Born Again,' rewatching 'Friday the 13th' films, seeing 'The Phoenician Scheme' a second time, and watching 'I Like Movies.' He also mentions the 'Blank Check' podcast. Finally, in 'Staying Awesome,' Matt shares his Father's Day at a Taylor Swift tribute concert, and Jon talks about a Father's Day brunch and reveals his doctoral dissertation topic: studying how film studies fosters critical consciousness in education through teacher interviews.

As heard by us

A relaxed thumbs-up for How to Train Your Dragon 2025, shaped by a debate over beloved animated animals.

The Bloody Awesome Movie Podcast frames How to Train Your Dragon 2025 around a simple but lively question: does Toothless belong among the great animated animals?

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play when Toothless has you weighing dragons, dogs, and Totoro in animation's animal hall of fame.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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