Well, I just finished watching the first film! I jotted down a few of my thoughts and reactions that I had during that watch-through. If you wanna see me be sappy, click the read more!
Chills and a bit of trembling during the “This is Berk” intro speech
Quoted along with so much of the first scenes, beaming with happiness. I had almost forgotten how FUNNY the writing and banter is in this film… and Hiccup is so freaking relatable. Man, this movie is amazing!
The fact that Gobber says that Stoick will not always be around to protect Hiccup is so pointed and painful after seeing the second film. This trilogy is astounding.
The build-up of aura around Toothless is so masterful. Having the book of Dragons along with the extremely imposing moment where Toothless tackles Hiccup to the ground so clearly establishes that Toothless is something that is to be feared. He’s a nightmare to the Vikings of Berk, yet Hiccup goes out to that fearful thing, and he trusts himself to it!
Toothless puking a fish up onto Hiccup… is beautifully gross! Seriously, I’m gonna write a post on how the grossness that sneaks into this franchise meshes with it so perfectly!
Watching Forbidden Friendship for the last time before seeing this story come to an end. This is my favorite scene, my favorite piece of music… my favorite friendship. Man, watching this really does make me want a Night Fury.
Welp, Forbidden Friendship made me cry a little. Really, really, really beautiful scene.
DAW’ The shock on Toothless’s face is so adorable when he figures out Hiccup is putting a new tail on him!
Hiccup is SUCH a poor, hilarious dork! Not being able to get the water high enough to dowse the Zippleback head… and then instead of panicking, he simply bemoans the unfairness of it all! Then his attempt to brush off frightening the dragon away is so, so funny. I can state for a fact that I have quoted him several times when I’ve wanted to leave a group of people!
“The Village is throwing a party to celebrate!” Poor Hiccup was SO UNPOPULAR.
The cinematography and John Powell’s score for Test Drive are BREATHTAKING TOGETHER. So triumphant feeling! Man, I’m hyped now!
Oh, it hurts to see Stoick so proud of Hiccup while Hiccup is living a lie. The silence is painfully awkward, but at the same time the scene does establish something that is truly important to the story: Stoick wants to connect with Hiccup. He wants to protect him. As different as they are, and as disappointing as Hiccup has been, Stoick loves his son.
Hiccup leaping onto Astrid’s axe is incredibly brave! Man, that was close… and I kinda doubt Astrid would have come out on top in that scenario. Toothless is so incredibly fast and powerful. And GEEZ Toothless wants to kill her! Hiccup literally has to keep pushing back against him!
“Da Da Da we’re dead.” SO QUOTABLE! XD
Haha, wow, back in the very old days of my fandom life, I remember constantly arguing that the Red Death was male because Hiccup says “Well, he can fly!”. The counter-argument was always that Astrid referred to the dragon as a “queen”. I still stand by my original opinion :)
“Yes”. Probably the bossest thing I’ve ever seen a hero say. Hiccup is so convicted, so sure of his desire to keep Toothless safe… it literally shocks Astrid into following his lead. Amazing.
The tension of the Kill Ring scene is epic. Hookfang is powerful and terrifying… and then you toss Toothless into the mix, and pit him against the entire Village, and he still won’t run!
The pacing of this film is so good, so tightly wound. Each scene is fresh. Each moment iconic. I’ve seen the film 70+ times, and I’m still enjoying every second of it.
I love Astrid pulling Hiccup out of his despair. I love how she finally prompts him to see what stayed his hand. She pulls the deep, instinctive reasons out of him. The reason why he didn’t kill a fallen dragon. He’s been under the boots and knives of others his whole life, and suddenly he found himself being the aggressor. He related to the pain and fear of Toothless, related to the dragon simply giving up and letting it happen. It’s amazing. The themes of this film are so good!
“We’ve done it!” Hey, David Tennant!
Dang… that shot of Toothless’s rocketing down and knocking the Red Death over in a single blast… AIN’T NOBODY BETTER MESS WITH THIS NIGHT FURY
You know… to wake up to Toothless watching over me… I think I’d be willing to sacrifice a left foot for it!
On a more serious note, Hiccup losing his foot is such a profound part of this movie. Changing the world has a cost, and he and Toothless both share scares from what they have been through. It’s a touching parallel, one of many throughout this franchise, and it was an incredibly gutsy thing for the directors of the first film to do!
And Fin.
I’m crying again.
Well, that was it! The last time I’ll watch the beginning before I see the end. What a film… what a story… what a masterpiece! I’m genuinely thankful to be a fan of such a solid franchise, and I’m even more thankful for the friendships I’ve made thanks to this amazing film. It’s changed my life in many, many ways. Whatever the future may hold, this first film will always be one of the most defining parts of my past.
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