"How to Train Your Dragon" Review.

Opening Statements: I have to admit, when I first heard of Dreamwork's "How to Train Your Dragon", I wasn't expecting too much. I saw the movie with my little brother and sister, who were both big fans of the book. From what they told me, the book is rather silly and quirky, so I expected Dreamworks to take this movie in the direction of some of their pop-culture filled fun fests, such as "Shrek" or "Monsters vs. Aliens." This could be further from the truth. "How to Train Your Dragon" is an amazing cinematic treasure, and undoubtedly my favorite movie of the year thus far.

The Good: Where to start? This movie is filled to the brim with good things. From the gorgeous animation to the stunning and loveable characters to the enchanting flying scenes that give you the closest simulation to flying on the back of an animal most people will ever know. The main Dragon, "Toothless", is rendered so believably and installed with such life, that it is almost hard to believe that a creature such as this does not exist in real life. The final battle, in particular, stood out for me. I'm a large fan of action movies, so I have seen a lot of epic final fights. However, the battle in this animated family movie, in my personal opinion is the greatest I've ever seen. Some particular images from the battle will stay with me forever. To anyone who thinks This isn't me kind of movie or I don't want to watch a kids film, I highly recommend you reconsider. This movie goes above and beyond any family film I have ever seen, into a realm that everyone can enjoy. The movie will be coming to DVD soon, but if a local theater is showing a second run, I strongly suggest you swallow your pride and purchase a ticket. You won't be disappointed.

The Bad: I don't have a lot of bad to say about this movie, but I did have a few minor problems; most within the last thirty seconds of the movie. I don't want to spoil anything, but at the end of the movie the main character endures a major change that is not only shocking for a family-friendly movie, but just cinema in general. This left a major impact on me and I felt the movie should have ended just there. However, it lingers on for a minute or two more, creating a very generic and "kiddy" ending. It wasn't bad enough to take away the amazingness that was the bulk of the movie, but it dampened my overall experience.

Closing Statements: Overall, this movie was far, far better than anyone expected it to be. It was not just good, but amazing and magical. It is one of those films that leave you saying "I love movies." Rather than using animation as an excuse to be silly and childish, it using animation to craft amazing scenes that could not be done otherwise. Forget about how "manly" or "adult" you are, and give this movie a chance. You'll be glad you did.

***** out of *****

"The Eye of the World: Book One of the Wheel of Time" Review

Opening Statements: I recently download the audio book of Robert Jordan's "The Eye of the World"; the first in a very long fantasy series. This series has received an extraordinarily large ammount of praise from critics and fans alike, so I couldn't help but judge its quality quite a bit while reading it. Although I did enjoy the book , I could not help but notice several flaws that hindered my overall reading experience.

The Good: The book does a very nice job of conveying the fantasy world in which it takes place. Robert Jordan is quite heavy on small details, so a clear picture is painted in every scene. Another quality of the narrative I greatly enjoyed was how many different characters had separate chapters to themselves that focused on their own journey, rather than focusing on the main character, Rand, for the entire novel. Also, the magic system in the book is quite unique and interesting; as only women are able to use magic, while any man who uses magic will eventually go mad. This fascinating and unusual plot distinction managed to keep my interest in the story any time it was mentioned.

The Bad: Firstly, the book is ridiculously long; over 700 pages. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this, but there is so much 'fat' within the book that it gets to be a bit exhausting. A huge number of pages is devoted to how a character is feeling about a certain situation. In most books, I would consider this a good thing, but most of the thoughts are annoyingly repetitive. Rand is constantly reminding himself of that his adoptive father is no less a father to him than if they shared blood. Rand and another character, Perrin, are constantly thinking that the other is better at dealing with women,which turns from humorous to groan-inducing when mentioned the six or so times. But my biggest problem with the story would have to the central character, Rand. Rand is so stereotypical that I felt myself drowning out the sound of the audiobook every time the story focused on his exploits. A brave and noble hero who finds out he is *gasp* adopted, and it is his destiny to save the world. My final complaint is actually something that most critics praise the story for: its females. Every woman in the book is strong-willed, powerful, and stubborn. I'm all for strong female characters, but every single one?! If the names were removed from the dialogue, every single woman would appear exactly the same, which I found to be a shame.

Final Thoughts: Even though so much of the book was sterotypical and annoying, it had enough good within it to keep me going. I've heard from several sources that the books improve as the series progresses, so I plan to stick with it. I'm currently reading the second book, "The Great Hunt" and am enjoying it more than the first. Overall, I would think of this book as a 700-and-something page prologe.

*** out of *****