How to Train Your Dragon

[Dhalin]

I don't recall, I think there was another thread created on this subject, but it was quite awhile ago, and instead of necroposting an old thread that is no longer on page one, I'll just start a new one.

It was just released on DVD/Blu-Ray a couple weeks ago, and the boss that runs my place of employment finally got it in for rent!

I saw it on the shelf today and could not resist it.

I was kinda iffy on it from the start; I've never really been a fan of Dreamworks stuff, but man. This has really changed my outlook on Dreamworks.

I don't want to give out spoilers, but the ending was just pure epic, some very heartwarming moments between Hiccup and Toothless, and the trailers left out a lot of awesome little points you see when you actually go see the movie. I'd definitely recommend it to any of you dragon fans out there, I give it an 8/10, easily. Prolly give it more than 8 but people don't usually take 9 or 10s seriously and just write em off as fanboy ratings.

[AmonGwareth]

Was actually worth seeing in the theater in 2D (not 3D). And yes, its a very good movie with very high production values all-around.

[Dhalin]

Was actually worth seeing in the theater in 2D (not 3D). And yes, its a very good movie with very high production values all-around.

I've never really paid much attention to IMax, 3D, etc.

My preferred method of watching movies, is sitting at my computer (yes, computer, not TV). The reasons for that are simple:

1). I have a $50 pair of headphones. Quite high quality. Every little whisper, I can hear with crystal clarity.

2). I sit not more than 12 inches away from a 27'' widescreen LCD monitor. Very clear and crisp image and I don't need to squint, ever (I have that eye condition, Myopia? Is that the one where you can't see far very well?). Wearing glasses for long periods of time = huge headache for me.

3). Nice, Comfy office chair. Chairs in the theater, yuck.

4). Popcorn, for almost free. 1 stick of butter? $0.25. A little salt? Practically free. One half Cup of unpopped popcorn? Less than a quarter. Makes a HUGE bowl (about twice as much as you get when you buy a large at the theater). Add a 24oz Mountain Dew to that, for about $.75 or so depending on how much you paid for the 6-pack. Total cost: less than $2. Try buying that at a theater and you pay $10 or more.

5). I can pause it when I go to the bathroom.

6). I don't have to worry about spilling my drink or my popcorn because I have a huge desk to set it on.

So, yeah... movies at home = awesome. Even without the 3D, or Imax.

[AguaRush]

i have/am/will always be a dream works fan but this one topped it all off

Dragons. ROCK. thank you dreamworks.

amazing movie

[LungTien Temeraire]

I have read about How To Train Your Dragon 2 being prepared, as well as a serie in episodes for the little screen.

[awdz]

There's a made-for-DVD sequel available now as part of a set that came out with the movie's release to stores. I'm hoping to watch it soon. :-)

[AmonGwareth]

I've never really paid much attention to IMax, 3D, etc.

My preferred method of watching movies, is sitting at my computer (yes, computer, not TV). The reasons for that are simple:

1). I have a $50 pair of headphones. Quite high quality. Every little whisper, I can hear with crystal clarity.

2). I sit not more than 12 inches away from a 27'' widescreen LCD monitor. Very clear and crisp image and I don't need to squint, ever (I have that eye condition, Myopia? Is that the one where you can't see far very well?). Wearing glasses for long periods of time = huge headache for me.

3). Nice, Comfy office chair. Chairs in the theater, yuck.

4). Popcorn, for almost free. 1 stick of butter? $0.25. A little salt? Practically free. One half Cup of unpopped popcorn? Less than a quarter. Makes a HUGE bowl (about twice as much as you get when you buy a large at the theater). Add a 24oz Mountain Dew to that, for about $.75 or so depending on how much you paid for the 6-pack. Total cost: less than $2. Try buying that at a theater and you pay $10 or more.

5). I can pause it when I go to the bathroom.

6). I don't have to worry about spilling my drink or my popcorn because I have a huge desk to set it on.

So, yeah... movies at home = awesome. Even without the 3D, or Imax.

Understandable. I sit in front of a computer all day so the last thing I want to do in the evenings is sit in front of the computer for even longer. 12"? Yikes.

Besides, I love the movie theater experience.

[Dhalin]

Understandable. I sit in front of a computer all day so the last thing I want to do in the evenings is sit in front of the computer for even longer. 12"? Yikes.

I'm one of those nerds I guess you could call me. lol.

I could sit in front of computers all day long, as long as I got a few minutes to get up and walk around. Heck, when I'm not working, I'm usually in front of one or the other computer (the other is hooked up to a 37'' Widescreen LCD TV) depending on what exactly I'm doing. Though, I don't sit 12 inches away from that 37'' ... more like 2-3 feet. On a nice office chair with an ergo keyboard in my lap and the mouse on a small folding stand right next to the chair.

Anyways, back on topic, a released-for-DVD sequel thingie? I will definitely have to look for that.

[Spirit]

This movie is great in *anything* because it's a great movie... however it is *especially* awesome in 3d.

This last few years have been great for movies and I was finally driven to buying a projector (3d is driving the prices of 2d down)... can highly recommend it. We're still waiting for HTTYD to release on dvd/br in the Uk... why the delay? I have no idea.

Rakku

[Dhalin]

We're still waiting for HTTYD to release on dvd/br in the Uk... why the delay? I have no idea.

They're trying to milk as much theater time out of it as possible, same reason it took them over 3 months to release it on DVD after it came out in theaters over here.

Being a Dreamworks film, they know that it is a high-profile film, and they know that the earlier they release the DVD, the less money they will make at the theaters, so they delay the DVD release as long as possible, figuring people will just give in and go see it in the theater and pay the much higher prices to do so.

I'm surprised Avatar went to DVD as fast as it did, but then I'll bet it is because that Cameron/Production Co. had a trick up their sleeve: The extended version they intended to release later in the year.

[Frith-Rae]

Ya its a great movie! I thought it was worth it to pay for 3d myself.

And yea I refuse to watch tv or movies on my computer, I do enough on the computer. Its just not the same as plopping ont he comfy couch in front of the HD 65 inch and surroundsound, I dont care that the computer is widescreen too lol.

[Dhalin]

Ya its a great movie! I thought it was worth it to pay for 3d myself.

And yea I refuse to watch tv or movies on my computer, I do enough on the computer. Its just not the same as plopping ont he comfy couch in front of the HD 65 inch and surroundsound, I dont care that the computer is widescreen too lol.

Up that a bit -- hook the computer up to the 65'' HD. *grins*

Imagine, your character on a HUGE 65'' TV...

My dragon looks pretty darn impressive on a 37'', I couldn't imagine him on a 65.

Even if your TV doesn't have RGB-in, I assume it has HDMI (being an HD TV), and many GPU cards nowadays have HDMI-out.

[Solitaire]

I have a 67" that I have an HTPC (Home Theater PC) hooked up to. I've played with Istaria on it a few times and it is quite impressive. Would be nice to have a better video card in the HTPC, though. Can't crank up the detail all the way without it getting too slow.

I just watched HTTYDragon last week for the first time. I regret now that I was too self conscious to be a lone adult going to watch a kid's movie. Would have liked to have seen the 3D version. Those flight scenes would have been very interesting. Especially their first flight when they got separated and were falling. There was one shot of the cliff rising up next to them that looks amazing in 2D but must have been frightening in 3D.

The only thing I really did not like about the movie was that the dragons drug their tails on the ground. Made it kind of look like 1950's era stop motion dinosaur movies to me. But that is a minor personal peeve of mine.

[Frith-Rae]

Yea I know - I do need me a little "entertain-pc" to hook up to the TV (I THINK It has HDMI..honestly its one of the first gen HDs still a floor sitter and like 16inches thick from the back - hand me down when my parents upgraded to the wall unit lol).

THough I build my own systems, I'm not someoen who has parts lying around and franken-computers and such. I have ONE PC system, and my husband has one. I don't have any other systems or parts, so if I wanted to hook something like that up I'd have to go pay for it.

Annd well I just can't justify that just yet. So the DVR sets the tv, I have a roku for streaming movies/netflix/amazon on demand and my computer is in the other room for gaming and no tv/movie watching period!

I rebuild my entire system when something major explodes (usually the video card lol), so its not even "leftover computer" I can hook up to play computer games on the tv on.

I just don't keep those around. I do give spare parts to my other nerd friends who happen to have frankensystems always laying around.

*wayback flashback* last time I had my computer plugged into my tv was my old Apple IIC "portable" system they had (computer in a suitcase - keyboard had a handle!). It had a TV adapter so you could plug the unit into a regular tv screen. I thought it would be awesome - but no converting "all green" to color just ends up with rainbow pixels - quite humerous.

But I htink I played King's Quest like that for awhile...lol.

[Dhalin]

I never really tried to hook a PC up to a TV until I got this newer LCD of mine in my other room that came with RGB input. I already had the TV/Gaming system in the room, and then I had 2 computers -- mom's and my 2nd one... what I did was get rid of the monitor, and hook the rest up to the TV and I can just switch between inputs depending if I'm using the PC or gaming on a console. A rather nice setup, I think. I only wish there was a little more room for the wii, sometimes I lose 'connection' and get the "Please point remote at the screen" prompt when playing games...gah.

[Spirit]

I was looking at tv's recently and it struck me that as soon as you get to a price where the tv doesn't stink, you can actually get a projector for the same money so I'd recommend a full-hd Optoma Hd200x. Even in my living room it manages to throw a 4m image onto a white wall.

Back to HTTYD... I'd understand the delay *if* it was still in theaters, but it hasn't been in any for months. I think the last screening I found (I was looking to go... again) was in London about 6 weeks ago. Since it seems to be out in the States, those with multi-region players are already buying it. Oh well it's neither here nor there... they do what they do!

Anyway fantastic movie... can't wait to see it again.

As for Avatar... yeah I should have seen the extended version coming *before* I ordered the bluray. I guess the dodgy t-shirt and postcards should keep me happy lol... I'll borrow someone elses copy of the extended version. Is it any good?

Rakku

[Dhalin]

As for Avatar... yeah I should have seen the extended version coming *before* I ordered the bluray. I guess the dodgy t-shirt and postcards should keep me happy lol... I'll borrow someone elses copy of the extended version. Is it any good?

I wouldn't know, it is not out yet that I've heard of. Unless I somehow missed the news of it.

Anyways, about projectors... the bad thing about those, is if anything walks between the white wall and the projector, it messes the picture up. That, and TVs may be different over there in the UK.

I bought mine (a fairly good Vizio 37'') for roughly $700 USD. That's about 440 GBPs (I forget the alt-code for the pound symbol... you get what I mean, right?).

And I've never, ever even seen a projector in stores around here.

[Akrion]

I first watched it on Imax 3D. And I have to say that I'm glad I did, same with Avatar.

I don't think the term '3D' does these movies justice because it's not meant to really be 3D in the sense of things popping out at you. It's meant to give you depth perception, that is, the ability to really see what's close and what's far. I've experienced the 3D method for creating depth perception in games with Nvidia's 3D glasses and I have to say it's really neat. Because again, it's not trying to make things fly in your face, it's trying to give a third dimension to add the sense of depth to an otherwise flat image.

[Dhalin]

I first watched it on Imax 3D. And I have to say that I'm glad I did, same with Avatar.

I don't think the term '3D' does these movies justice because it's not meant to really be 3D in the sense of things popping out at you. It's meant to give you depth perception, that is, the ability to really see what's close and what's far. I've experienced the 3D method for creating depth perception in games with Nvidia's 3D glasses and I have to say it's really neat. Because again, it's not trying to make things fly in your face, it's trying to give a third dimension to add the sense of depth to an otherwise flat image.

Maybe I'm just good at imagination, but I never had... trouble... adding "depth" to a "flat" screen... but maybe someday I'll try it. I dunno. I just don't really "get" what peeps speak so highly of.. lol. That or I'm just used to a standard screen.

[Akrion]

Maybe I'm just good at imagination, but I never had... trouble... adding "depth" to a "flat" screen... but maybe someday I'll try it. I dunno. I just don't really "get" what peeps speak so highly of.. lol. That or I'm just used to a standard screen.

Well, for me it's just a matter of making what I'm looking at more alike what I look at in reality. I dunno, I find it pretty neat and always hope a way for displaying something for your entire field of vision will eventually happen.