How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is directed by Dean DeBlois, who also wrote and directed the original animated trilogy as well as Lilo & Stitch. His return to the property ensures a faithful live-action adaptation that honors the tone and emotional core of the original. Visually, the film captures the bond between humans and dragons, with the exception of some controversial choices in casting presentation.

Mason Thames, best known for The Black Phone, gives his best performance yet as Hiccup. He brings a believable vulnerability and growth to the role, matching the spirit of the original character while adding more emotional nuance in live-action.

Nico Parker plays Astrid and is strong in the role, though the decision to light and style her to resemble a white Viking, despite her mixed heritage, has sparked justified conversation. Despite that, Parker's acting is solid, and she handles the action and emotional beats well. You might remember her from Dumbo.

Gerard Butler returns as Stoick the Vast and delivers his best performance since 300. He brings power and presence to the role, portraying a commanding yet deeply conflicted father. His chemistry with Thames strengthens the core of the story.

Nick Frost and Julian Dennison provide the comic relief as Gobber and Fishlegs, respectively. Their timing and energy help keep the tone light when needed and match the spirit of their animated counterparts. Frost you'll remember from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. While Dennison you'll remember from Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

This remake doesn’t reinvent the franchise, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a loving adaptation that succeeds in casting, direction, and emotional depth, even if not without controversy. Result: B+

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We Bury The Dead (2026)

We Bury The Dead (2026) is a slow burn post apocalypse film centered on grief more than horror. Directed by Zak Hilditch , best known for smaller projects like 1922 and Rattlesnake , this is his first step into a larger American production. You can feel the restraint in the direction, sometimes to the film’s benefit and sometimes to its detriment. The pacing is deliberate, almost stubbornly so, and while the mood is consistent, it rarely escalates into anything memorable. Daisy Ridley , best known for Star Wars: The Force Awakens , carries the film as a woman searching for her missing husband who may or may not have turned into a zombie. Ridley is solid and emotionally grounded, doing the best she can with minimal dialogue and long stretches of quiet reflection. Her performance is never the problem. If anything, she is the primary reason the movie remains watchable. The supporting cast is where the film struggles. Nearly every side character is written as painfully one note, existi...

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Anaconda (2025)

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