How to Train Your Dragon

Sequences featuring the fire-breathing beasts are a thrilling highlight of How to Train Your Dragon, a live-action remake of the 2010 animated adventure that otherwise fails to generate many sparks.

The crowd-pleasing tale of acceptance and coexistence is slightly darker and more dramatic without deviating much from the original. This is a faithful replication, after all, and not a continuation or spinoff, which is part of the problem.

It doesn’t expand or update or otherwise alter the tale in any meaningful way. So if you’ve seen the source material, you’ve already experienced every narrative twist and thematic turn. It’s a missed opportunity to try something new, although the inspirations here are clearly more financial than creative.

The story is set on a rural island inhabited both by people and dragons, although not harmoniously. Hiccup (Mason Thames) is a clumsy and socially awkward teenager who dreams of joining the ranks of dragon fighters in his village.

His stern father (Gerard Butler) would rather save the family the embarrassment. “You are many things but a dragon killer is not one of them,” he cautions.

Hiccup sees an opportunity to prove himself one day in the wild, when he comes across a wounded Night Fury, one of the most feared species. Rather than finishing him off, he finds an unexpected kinship. But can they convince everyone else to value peace and friendship over hostility and conflict?

Visually striking in terms of world building and creature design, the film marks a capable live-action feature debut for director Dean DeBlois, who has overseen every big-screen chapter in the animated version of the franchise.

Spotlighting seamless special effects, the dragon scenes — especially those in flight — are more vivid and intense this time around, to the extent that the human characters become lost amid the spectacle.

Youngsters might identify with the timid and compassionate hero as he learns lessons of perseverance, loyalty, and self-esteem. He’s not a warrior but might be more courageous as a result.

As the screenplay by DeBlois — adapted from the children’s book series by Cressida Cowell — takes liberties with Viking mythology and lore, it exposes the more formulaic aspects of the underdog plot and emphasizes chaos to the point of exhaustion.

Anyway, this sharply crafted version of How to Train Your Dragon is rousing enough for newcomers to its fantasy world, but overwhelmingly unnecessary for those already familiar.

Rated PG, 125 minutes.