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One aspect of Powell's approach to 2025's How to Train Your Dragon that cannot be discarded is that the composer has simply gotten better at his trade in the prior fifteen years. His music is consistently among the most impressive of any composer working in the industry at this time, so what you hear in the 2025 version of a 2010 score is a more experienced viewpoint on the same general concept. You also have different arrangers and orchestrators involved this time, giving new perspective to old cues to match Powell's own changing methods. The composer can also more readily joke about his early attempts to give the franchise a Nordic sensibility in its music instead of the Scottish one that was obviously infused into it quite illogically. The blatantly awkward ethnic tone of Powell's first score was its biggest detriment for those who couldn't reconcile that issue (this reviewer included), but both the passing of time and Powell's mastery of the end result have healed all wounds caused by that initial logical fallacy, the presence of bagpipes and other related tones now widely acceptable for the story. Interestingly, the Scottish and marching band elements are dialed back in the mix this time, both of them a bit too intrusive in the original recording. The overall sound of the 2025 score is thus more mature, losing the spirit of the animated realm but gaining sincerity and depth. For some listeners, though, the increased choral presence in the remake will be the most obvious stylistic change, the resounding force of voice from the sequels now working their way back into the original story's music. From the banging of an anvil to the presence of solo woodwinds, the entire soundscape here is a bit more refined. Perhaps there is charm lost in that transition, but there's no question that the production values of this recording and mix are improved across the board. Individual brass lines, among others, may have notes buried here and there, and the colors of the woodwinds are a little different in their inflection, but such revisions are inevitable. (The movie's own mix gives respectful deference to Powell's music, though in context, some of the details are marginalized due to differences in how dialogue and other sound is balanced.) Generally, however, the pushing of the marching band percussion and bagpipes further back compared to the rest of the ensemble is a significant positive, especially in "He Has a Way With the Beasts" and the "We Have Dragons" conclusion.

In terms of the renewed thematic strategy in How to Train Your Dragon, most of the narrative remains intact, and the legacy ideas are just as functionally superior now as they always had been. This review will not cover the individual placement of every theme, for the review of the original 2010 score contains all that analysis. Rest assured, the statements of the friendship motif and fanfare (otherwise known as the friendship arpeggio), the A and B phrases of the main flying theme (the first for Hiccup and Toothless and the second serving as the anthem for the entire concept), and A and B phrases of the Berk theme (the first for Viking fun and the second for their heroism) are all represented well, often increased in their presence where possible. The love theme for Astrid continues to be a soaring romantic highlight of the franchise, expressed several times with outstanding appeal here; one of the wishes for some listeners is that this theme earns more air time in the revised sequel scores. On the other side, the stomping dragon theme for their positioning as villains explodes with even greater emphasis this time, using the same size debuting for the Drago presence in the second movie. (The Solo: A Star Wars Story level of frenetic action density in "The Wings of the Beast" is outstanding.) The "winds of change" theme for Hiccup and his friends is the unfortunate loser in the equation, partially replaced with a "new" theme from Powell (more on that later), while the fate theme is retained to better effect. The first third of the score contains the most freshly rearranged material, Powell's Berk themes impressively expanded into different variations more than the others. The composer was careful to express certain popular cues almost intact as means of satisfying those aforementioned expectations, but he and his crew managed to sneak in a significant number of interpolations of ideas where they hadn't existed before, and some identities from the prior sequels were adapted here as well. There actually isn't as much foreshadowing of the Valka, maturation, responsibility, and "lost and found" themes as one might want in this remake, but Powell definitely pushes them into the equation at the margins. Instead, this entry was concerned mainly with doing even better justice to the first score's own set of themes. It's hard to quibble with many of the choices without becoming needlessly argumentative, and even the most disgruntled enthusiasts of the original film have to admit that Powell and his team handled the melodies with thoughtfulness even if they disagree with the execution of the recording.

Aside from the Jonsi song's removal, the other most significant elimination from the soundtrack is the humorous "The Vikings Have Their Tea" at the very end. The other most notable changes include maybe the most obvious, which are the alterations to the infamous "Test Drive" cue. Renamed "Test Driving Toothless," this cue receives repeated phrasing for both the A and B phrases in the same key as the initial performance, and a new suspense portion during the falling sequence is punctuated by a choral lament that Powell brought forward from initial placement in "Finding Hiccup." The changes to this cue make it a better listening experience on album, the dissonance of that middle sequence not as obstructive. The fate theme in the middle of "Top Slayer" is nicely touched. Pieces of the second score's melodies are interpolated but not obviously, the "lost and found" theme not integrated as much as hoped. It could have been used at the opening of "Finding Hiccup," for instance, but Powell opted instead for the sequel's responsibility/longing theme there instead. The blaring bagpipe effect from second score's "Hiccup Confronts Drago" is pulled forward into "Meeting the Queen," and the end of "Our Most Valued Possession" references "Armada Battle" from the third score as well. As for all-new identities, there's seemingly a fresh Astrid idea at 0:32 into "Top Slayer" and 0:39 into "Caught Designing Outfits." But the most attention will go to Powell's new "homeward" theme, which replaces instances of the "winds of change" theme. This new identity is in fact the family theme from Powell's excellent score for 2011's Mars Needs Moms, which was always itself derivative from the flying anthem from this score and bleeds directly out of it in "Allied Forces." Expressed softly by woodwinds and strings in "He's Not That Boy" (yes, that's a funny Wicked reference), this theme culminates in the "You Are My Homeward" Viking song stated twice at the end of the score and its credits. While some will roll their eyes at this usage, it's a good theme that was always an offshoot of this score anyway, and Hiccup also happens to need a mom. Overall, Powell remains at the top of his game with the 2025 remake of How to Train Your Dragon. He has become a master at intelligent adaptation, and those disappointed by the 2025 score are missing the point. Think of it like the fantastic 2023 James Newton Howard compilation of rearranged pieces, "Night After Night: Music From the Movies of M. Night Shyamalan," but for an entire score. If you can't stomach the remake, then ignore it. For the rest of the community, Powell provides an incredibly vibrant and smart companion to the original 2010 classic. Regardless of what you think about studio money grabs, embrace a rare opportunity to experience this music all over again.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Powell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.31 (in 51 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.17 (in 52,796 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 106:02