PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Evidently, having eyed the gargantuan box-office returns for some of Disney’s “live-action reimaginings,” competing animation studio Dreamworks has decided to inspect its own catalog for recyclable content.

Had they consulted a crystal ball, they might’ve foreseen that the remake rose would be decidedly bloom-free by the time “How to Train Your Dragon” could be made — but you can’t blame them for trying, I suppose.

You can, however, blame them for a flat, unadventurous feature that adds nothing to its predecessor. For all of the many faults of its recent remakes, Disney has consistently distinguished the new versions from the old through added content and context; the Mouse House’s retreads are overstuffed, but they are considered.

“How to Train Your Dragon” is just the same movie with a less enchanting visual palette.

The story, if you missed the better version: Hiccup (Mason Thames) is a spindly teen with dreams of dragon hunting. His father, Stoick (Gerard Butler, reprising his role), is the chieftain of the Isle of Berk, a mountaintop village besieged by dragons. Berk’s sole industry seems to be mostly ineffective dragon defense; Stoick wants to wipe the flying creatures out, and Hiccup is eager to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Until, that is, he actually meets a dragon. After wounding a sleek black beast with a homemade weapon, Hiccup tries to slay it and instead befriends it. He names the dragon Toothless and discovers that the reptiles aren’t the monsters they’re made out to be.

Both versions of “How to Train Your Dragon” are narratively flawed; once we know that the dragons are friendly, it’s a fait accompli that the humans will eventually see the error of their ways. That makes half the film an exercise in frustration, as we impatiently wait for Stoick and the other grown-ups to listen to their kids. Each plot point is less a development and more an annoyance.

In the animated version — which was eclipsed in quality by its sequel — vibrant and pleasant animation made up for the dud of a plot. Here, that’s washed out in shades of grey; this “How to Train Your Dragon” borrows the dire tone of the later “Harry Potter” films, without earning the right to that somber mode via extended storytelling.

In short: It’s not a fun story, and it’s less fun to look at.

It’s probably better than a live-action “Shrek” would’ve been. I guess that’s something.

My Rating: 3/10

“How to Train Your Dragon” is now playing in theaters.