How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) 3D Movie Review

June 14, 2025 by adolph vega in 3-D Cinema, 3-D Films, 3-D Movies, 3D or 2D, 2025, How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) 3D Movie Review

Movie Review by Jacob Scarberry

3D

How can I describe the 3D in How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) with any word other than “breathtaking”? I simply can’t. Even with the film’s dark and saturated cinematography, the 3D still stands above everything that has been released this year so far (as of Friday the 13th, June 2025).

From the opening scenes, the depth is constant and immersive — especially in how deep the sets go. You’ll often see set dressing in the foreground poking right toward the viewer, and the flying scenes are nothing short of amazing. Several moments feature fire and embers blasting directly out of the screen, creating a thrilling and tangible sense of danger. Window breaks with particles, weapons, boats, and more keep the action popping forward.

That said, it’s not perfect 3D — but it’s damn close. There were a few moments where the editing moved a bit too quickly, which made it hard to fully appreciate the 3D craftsmanship. A slower pace in some shots would’ve really let those details shine.

Still, with its natural spatial layering, dimensional details, and constant visual engagement, How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) a fantastic 3D experience.

Final 3D Score:

9/10 and Editor’s Choice Award

Movie

There are several reasons why I might be the absolute worst person to review How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action):

A) I generally dislike and disregard live-action remakes of classic animated films.
B) I’m not exactly the target demographic (a man in his late 30s without kids).
C) I’ve always thought the original (animated) How to Train Your Dragon was an overrated 6/10 film that somehow got vaulted to immediate 10/10 status by nearly everyone who saw it.

So yeah — I’ve probably lost the trust of everyone reading this. Despite all this How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) actually worked for me. It also worked for my best friend Corey, and this shocked us both, considering we’re probably two of the most cynical people this side of Statler and Waldorf.

The movie is, quite literally, the original (animated) film, beat for beat. Hiccup (Mason Thames) is the awkward laughingstock of the island of Berk — which is especially rough since he’s the son of the village leader, Stoick (Gerard Butler, reprising his role), a beloved and battle-hardened Viking. During the opening, Hiccup tries to help repel the dragon attacks, hoping to catch and kill the ever-elusive Night Fury, a dragon no one’s ever seen. Miraculously, he succeeds — but only he knows. When it comes time to slay the dragon, he can’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he sets it free. Toothless escapes, injured and unable to fly.

Meanwhile, Stoick prepares to lead a raid to find the Dragon’s Nest, determined to end the attacks once and for all. Gobber (Nick Frost), Hiccup’s blacksmith teacher, convinces Stoick to enroll his son in dragon-fighting training to help him find his place. Enter the supporting teen cast: Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), siblings Ruffnut and Tuffnut (Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn), the obnoxious Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), and Astrid (Nico Parker), Hiccup’s future love interest — all of whom are very unimpressed with him.

As Hiccup secretly begins bonding with Toothless and starts doing better in training (thanks to what he learns from the dragon), he begins to find his confidence and purpose. But danger looms, and it’ll take the unlikeliest Viking to step up and save the day.

So yeah — this is a near copy-paste remake, down to the same co-writer and co-director Dean DeBlois from the original trilogy. Ironically, Chris Sanders (co-director of the original and Lilo & Stitch) also has a remake in theaters right now. While you can’t expect massive surprises, there’s enough freshness here to keep it engaging — especially if you haven’t seen the original animated film in full since 2010 (like me).

What Worked in this movie :

The casting is pretty solid. Mason Thames does a good job as Hiccup, even if he lacks the nebbish charm Jay Baruchel brought to the role.
Gerard Butler steals the show — he absolutely nails Stoick, making him both likable and flawed. Honestly, I half expected him to yell “THIS… IS… BERK!!” every other scene, and I wouldn’t have minded.
The sets are fantastic. A lot of physical environments were used, and Northern Ireland serves as a beautiful stand-in for Berk.
The CGI is strong, even if it lacks the expressive, stylized charm of the animated dragons.
The cinematography is nice, but the color palette leans too heavily into earthy tones. It needed more visual pop and magic.
John Powell’s score returns, and it’s still gorgeous — full of Celtic tones that easily outshine the usual Disney remake fare.

This is a remake that didn’t need to happen — but surprisingly, it works. It’s fun, well-made, and even managed to win over two jaded cynics. How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is fun, well-made, and honors the original while finding just enough of its own voice. It may not soar to new heights, but strong visuals, solid performances, and top-tier 3D make it a great time at the movies. Buy some snacks, throw on your 3D glasses, and enjoy the ride — you won’t regret it.

Final Movie Score: 8/10

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Minions The Rise of Gru 3D Movie Review

July 01, 2022 by adolph vega in 3D or 2D, 3D, 3D Movies, 3-D Films, 3-D Movies, 3-D Cinema, 3d Movie, Review, 3D films, minions, minions rise of Gru, Minions 2, Minions Rise of Gru

Minions The Rise of Gru

3D Movie Review

Written By: Adolph Vega

3D

Minions Rise of Gru looks very nice in 3D. I do think that it could have been a stronger presentation as some scenes appear flat and lack depth. Fans of 3D will be happy with this presentation as we get some nice pop outs and a decent amount of depth in some scenes. Occasionally the movie will have a sequence where it goes into slow motion and those quick scenes really look wonderful in 3D. Sometimes the movie will use a 2D animation style and those scenes also benefit from being in 3D. I like how the movie uses layering to make the 2D scenes look more visually interesting. The final battle scene with the magical creatures fighting the minions is especially strong in 3D. Another scene with some henchmen fighting Master Chow in the alley was very enjoyable in 3D. The 3D comes and goes, and it seems to be almost turned off in many scenes. It just feels like they held back and only used 3D in some scenes where the entire movie could have looked fabulous in 3D. Overall Minions Rise of Gru has many memorable moments of superb 3D, so I do recommend it. If I were to use a number scale the 3D is maybe a 7/10 when I think it could have easily been a 10/10.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

Art by Ppeppermind

Movie

Minions Rise of Gru is the second ‘minions’ movie and the fifth movie in the ‘Despicable’ franchise. The minions are back in another wacky movie adventure. To be blunt this isn’t a great movie, but it is more fun than I thought it would be.

Minions Rise of Gru continues the story that began in the original Minions movie. Don’t worry this movie is self-contained and is strait forward, so you can watch it even if you haven’t seen of the previous movies in the “Despicable” movie franchise. The story of Minions Rise of Gru is all over the place. Minions Rise of Gru is set in the 1970s and Gru is about 11 years old. Though a series of wacky shenanigans Gru is kidnapped, and the minions need to rescue their boss. The movie juggles several subplots to make its story. You have one subplot with three minions learning martial arts from Master Chow and trying to rescue Gru. You have another subplot with Gru and his kidnapper bonding. You have another subplot with one minion who is trying to obtain a magical talisman. Finally, you have the Vicious 6 supervillain gang who want to get revenge on Gru. All these subplots combine to become a 90-minute film. The movie is very fast paced, and it rarely gives the audience a moment to breath before the next gag. Many elements of the story fall too perfectly into place. The movie has no real stakes or consequences. I know this is an animated movie for children so I should cut it some slack, but this movie can become tedious to watch. Some of the subplots could have been consolidated or deleted all together with little being lost from the whole package. This movie feels like a series of skits that are loosely connected to make a narrative. Simply put this movie has too much going on, and it doesn’t know how to handle it all.

Minions Rise of Gru is not going to be for everyone, yet I did enjoy my time with this movie. I found the elements with Gru and the Vicious 6 villain gang to be the most amusing aspects of this movie. I really loved Steve Carell’s portrayal of a young gru. I want to know more about the Vicious 6 and all its members. The comedy is basic, but I did find myself laughing at many points. The animation is well done and has a nice style to it. Placing this movie in the 1970’s is a gimmick, but it worked to make it a more fun and interesting setting. Master Chow is wonderful character, and she deserves her own TV Show / movie. I really like the dynamic between the character of Wild Knuckles and Gru. The soundtrack is incredible, and it fits the movie perfectly. The minions are less annoying in this movie than they have been in previous films. Maybe it was my low expectations, but I found more enjoyment from this movie than I expected to. I fully assumed that I would hate this movie, but Minions Rise of Gru is a passable way to spend 90 minutes of your day. FYI this movie as a nice mid credits scene that is worth checking out.

Minions Rise of Gru is a fine movie, and despite its many flaws I did like it. I will likely forget this movie in a week but somehow some way this movie works, and it has some merit as family friendly entertainment.

Final Verdict: 6/10

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Update !

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Minions Rise of Gru 3-D Movie Review Podcast

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The Bad Guys 3D Movie Review

April 23, 2022 by Jake Jarvis in 3D or 2D, 3D, 3D Movies, 3-D Films, 3-D Movies, 3-D Cinema, 3d Movie, Review, 3D films, The Bad Guys, animated movies

The Bad Guys 3D Movie Review

Written By: Jake Jarvis

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3D

The 3D in The Bad Guys is enjoyable, just like most other CGI animated movies. The 3D looks good with lots of cool angles in scenes with lots of depth. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t have any real 3D pop outs. There are some spectacular scenes, especially a few of the car chase scenes, but they would be spectacular in 2D as well. The excellent animation drives the visual interest, not the stereoscopic 3D visuals. It's good 3D, with lots of depth, and it will satisfy your 3D itch. There's just not any gosh-wow pop out moments that would make this a must see in 3D. The 3D is worthwhile and is well executed, but it could have been better and more pronounced.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

Art by Ppeppermind

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PpeppermindArtStore

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Movie

The Bad Guys is a Dreamworks animated film based on a great series of kids books of the same name. The story of The Bad Guys is fairly straightforward yet it has plenty of surprises and is deeper than it appears to be in the trailers.

The Bad Guys is the tale of anthropomorphic talking animals who are the “ bad guys”. This crew consists of a wolf , snake , spider , shark and a piranha. Each of these characters have a key attribute and a distinct personality. They are bad guys because that is what is excepted from them for their species. One day during a heist the wolf gets a compliment and he has an epiphany. Maybe he doesn’t want to be a bad guy anymore, maybe he can get more out of life from doing good deeds than crime. Mr. Wolf gets a second chance to go straight; but does he take that chance seriously or is it an excuse for a bigger heist? Is it possible for to reform a bad guy ? Your typical animated hijinks in-sue in this movie, and saying anymore would be spoiling the fun. The movie feels more like an Illumination film than a Dreamworks animated film, but that's not a bad thing. The Bad Guys has the same vibe as the first Despicable Me movie, except no minions. This is the best caper film I have ever seen geared for young adults and I am so here for it. It's charming, witty, and pretty smart. The voice acting is fantastic and the movie flows well. Sure, adults who have seen Ocean's 11, and countless other caper films, will figure out many of the twists beforehand, but that won't hinder your enjoyment one bit. This movie was a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel. FYI please wait around for the mid credits scene that is very enjoyable. The Bad Guys surprised me and I enjoyed it more than I thought that I would.

In closing The Bad Guys is a fun animated movie that the entire family can enjoy. DreamWorks has really outdone itself with this delightful beautifully animated movie.