How to Train Your Dragon

This endearing 3D kids' movie tells the story of Hiccup, a nerdy and scrawny teenager living on an island otherwise populated by characters the size of Obelix the Gaul. The island is regularly raided by dragons, and the principal occupation of the islanders is dragon-slaying, in which Hiccup frequently attempts to take part - in good faith but with disastrous consequences. One day he finally manages to shoot down a dragon and goes off to recover the body to prove himself, but ends up instead making friends with it. The story moves on in an entirely predictable but thoroughly entertaining way. The flight sequences work superbly in 3D, and the rest of the film is not too distractingly rendered. (Like Avatar but unlike Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon was designed in 3D, and the difference shows.) The plot is engaging, the dragons are cute, and happily - as Steve Novella explains on Neurologica - the geek wins the day. I found it charming and walked out of the cinema feeling that all was well with the world.