How to Train Your Dragon

This film is sort of the anti-shrek. The cast is populated by solid character actors as opposed to distracting big name stars. There aren't any pop-culture references to be found, and the laughs come from well-developed jokes and not just some cultural shorthand. This isn't to say that I dislike Shrek or its ilk (I mean I own the first three seasons of Family Guy for crying out loud), its just that their over reliance on big stars and dated references means that most of the amusement is transitory, and the rewatchability factor is low. How to Train Your Dragon in contrast has more in common with Pixar's offerings in that it doesn't condescend to its audience, and relies on character development and story to make its point.

Anyway the film doesn't reinvent the wheel. The story is fairly predictable in that it sticks to the conventions of the genre, but it does so in an engaging way and with a sly, somewhat subversive, sense of humor that it made for one of the more satisfying film-going experiences I've had in awhile

In regards to to the 3-D, it was completely unecessary and Avatar remains the only film I've seen where it makes a difference. Still its an easy anti-piracy device, and the studios get an extra 3 dollars (or more) out of me per ticket so its not going anywhere. We can only hope the forthcoming Sex and The City 3-D: Shoes in da Hood will show everyone what a horrible development seeing everything in three dimensions really is.