How to Train Your Dragon

I thought I'd do a "Movie Review for Moms." Now, for movie reviews, I would highly recommend reading my friend Josh's blog and leave things well enough alone. However, given that I'm a mom, and I often wonder when movies are appropriate for my child or not, I thought I'd share some insights into "kid movies" when I can.

For example, take Alice in Wonderland. I had heard it was fairly dark, as most Tim Burton films are. However, I was hoping that perhaps it was okay for Malcolm to see (he's 6). I received a few warnings from people, and I'm glad I heeded them - while the movie was interesting, there were a few rather violent portions that I don't think were appropriate for someone his age.

So...on to "How to Train Your Dragon." An enjoyable flick, for sure. With Gerard Butler's boisterous Scottish voice for the father, Jay Baruchel's charmingly dorky voice for the son, and a slew of other great actors in the mix - it's sure fun to listen to and watch. The storyline is somewhat predictable, but because of the unusual setting of the story - vikings are not as typical child fare as say, fairies and barnyard animals - it's refreshingly different enough to not be boring for the adults. I found the movie to be entertaining and enjoyable.

Now, for the warnings:

• Malcolm is 6 years old, will be 7 soon. He did not get too scared by the dragons or the fighting sequences. However, he DOES play video games such as Star Wars and such like that, so he is accustomed to a certain amount of "cartoon violence." There was a woman there with a little girl that looked to be 2 or 3 - she screamed several times and ran away...this, among other things, makes me not want to recommend this story for toddlers.
• There is one bit of the story that is very much NOT like typical child fare, and I'm not sure how many parents would be uncomfortable with having to explain this particular incident to their children. I was fine with it, and Malcolm accepted the explanation without any difficulty. However, more sensitive parents may feel some need for caution. I don't want to do spoilers here, so if you would like to know what exactly I'm talking about, please private message me and I'll share.

That's really it. Obviously, just merely having dragons as central characters may make it a bit too scary for younger children. But I believe older children will enjoy the tale.