Due to various reasons, I only went to see it at the end of its screening period, and there were no IMAX showings left, so I could only watch it in Dolby, which is a bit regrettable. This live-action movie is still more suited for IMAX; the scenes of flying on dragons and the battle sequences are probably best experienced in IMAX. The Dolby sound is decent, but the visual effects are still lacking, and the picture is a bit dark, which is a shame for those beautiful landscapes.
The main filming locations for the movie are said to be in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which are also famous paragliding spots. Paragliding is the sport I’ve experienced that comes closest to flying; by controlling the direction of the parachute according to the air currents, you can stay in the air for a long time, and sometimes you can even soar upwards with the airflow. Looking down from the air offers a clear view below, and the feeling of the wind blowing against you is something that cannot be experienced on a plane or at the top of a mountain.
Returning to the movie itself, the plot is basically the same as the animated version from 15 years ago, mainly focusing on themes of growth and anti-war sentiments. Previously, I watched more for the cute dragon antics, but this time I could better appreciate the various pressures during the growth process. Family, friends, and society have various expectations of you; some may align with your own thoughts, but many are actually not what you want. Most people lack the ability or courage to resist and can only become the good children in their parents' eyes or the talents that society expects, with very few truly knowing what they want, what kind of person they want to be, or what they genuinely want to do.
Most Hollywood movies tend to be idealized, with everything ending perfectly and humans and dragons coexisting harmoniously. But in the real world, as long as there are dictators, wars will never truly stop, and there will always be competition and conflict between people and between humans and other species. Most children are forced to grow up to resemble their parents, regardless of whether they like it or not.