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62 comments in total

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57 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly entertaining for both adults and children, 27 December 2007

Author: dfcurran from Reynolds City Montana

When my wife dragged me to this movie I thought I'd be bored. The trailers show nothing except the little monster growing quickly and swimming around happily. What I did not expect is the wonderful, and entertaining background story set in Scotland during WWII.

Now the film has a modern frame as well as the WWII story. An old man tells two young visitors to Loch Ness what they assume is a tall tale. Frames usually don't add much to movies but in this frame is an exception.

In WWII a young boy, who doesn't know his father was lost at sea, finds a strange egg. While the egg grows into a likable, gigantic plesiosaur, a strange man, who might be a German spy, starts as caretaker of the boy's father's estate, and a gunnery unit takes over the estates grounds. The captain of the gunnery unit takes a shine to the boy's Mom, and tries to instill discipline to the boy by treating him like a drill sergeant would a recruit. Meanwhile, the new caretaker decides to keep the boy's new pet a secret. and wins the respect of the boy's mother.

Although there is no real violence in this movie there is a killer (hunter) cook and some shooting. In fact there is a scene with cannon fire that might scare young children. And of course the cook has a tough bull-dog who likes to chase things.

The characters here are well developed and the acting and cinematography is superb. This movie will not disappoint.

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54 out of 67 people found the following comment useful :-
Good family film, 19 December 2007

Author: Kenneth Johnson from United States

It is reassuring to see more and more family-oriented films being issued without everyone having to rely on the Disney and Pixar folks to carry all the weight. That said, it would have been interesting to see what Disney might have done with this story. In the end, I would highly recommend this for family viewing - it has laughs, thrills, beautiful scenery, and a heartwarming storyline that offers opportunities for family discussion.

As with most things, there are good and bad sides to this film. On the plus side, the acting is above-par by all the actors(the adult male leads look startlingly like a young Liam Neeson and a Gaelic Antonio Banderas), the location footage is gorgeous, the period "feels right", and the title namesake is very well executed and most believable. Major kudos to the special effects teams, they did a magnificent job.

On the downside, the denouement is telegraphed well in advance and comes as no surprise, and there are some unanswered questions and several plot lines end without resolution. I have a feeling a "directors cut" would probably restore studio-mandated cuts and resolve these issues. The Director, Jay Russell, has helmed other very successful films (including a little-known but personal favorite "End of the Line") which were also obviously "fiddled with" by studio decree. Such is the business of film-making.

In the end, I greatly enjoyed this film, and plan to add it to my vast collection when it is released for home viewing.

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54 out of 69 people found the following comment useful :-
A good time for the family, 17 December 2007

Author: Todd Brewer from United States

Just got back from an advanced screening of this movie and I really liked it - it isn't phenomenal or overly brilliant - but what it is is very charming and a good time for the family or couple or anyone looking for a feel good movie. The acting is well-done by the entire the "creature" is cute and believable with enough "awwwwwwww" moments, but not too much to become redundant. I read about the legend of Loch Ness when I was about 6 years old and imagined and fantasized how awesome it would be to see and witness something like that - this is probably as close as I will ever come - so in essence, I've waited 30 years for this movie - and my family and I enjoyed it very much.

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42 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
Beautiful gentle film, excellent reflections of WWII in the UK, 26 December 2007

Author: anniecat50 from United States

Our family (2 kids in high school) went to this film Christmas night. It was a perfect wrap up to a glorious family day. The story line was told by the camera as a story should be told; with reflective moments, beautiful long scenic shots and great close-ups on some of the best character faces one can find in a pub. All of the time taken for this was appreciated by our family. The CGI was beautifully woven into the film so that it did not take away from it, but rather created the water horse to fit beautifully with the surrounding images. He/she was charming and we all root for the dream that there is a Nessie! Mum (Grammy) is British and flew Spitfires in WWII. She told of regiments taking over estates and the events in this movie matches her stories. Two small critical comments: The male/female travelers who open and close the film were far too forced and it felt like they were given the roles as friends of a director/producer? It's too bad because the opening and closing of the film felt awkward and unconnected with the rest of the charming story. There is a sequence of footage of the young lad working that repeated itself that felt like it was just looking for extra shots and couldn't find them. Having done that as an amateur, I was surprised when the pros did this! Enjoy this film. Thank-you to all who worked on it!

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35 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
Free Nessie!, 10 January 2008

Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois

I saw the trailer and the making of The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, I don't know, something about this film just captured me. It just seemed like a really creative story and looked like a great family film. So, I decided to go ahead and check it out today and I have to say that it really did live up to my expectations, it was a cute film for the whole family to enjoy. It's a different version of Free Willy I think, lol, sounds crazy, I know, but I think you'll agree when you see it. It's definitely a tear jerker, but one of the better films I've seen in a little while in the theater. It was made very well and I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more notice, but like I said, I think I just saw something special in the story. We haven't had a Lochness monster movie, all we know is the infamous picture that has never been prove to be fake or real, and The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep tells us the story behind that picture.

Agnus is a young and lonely boy in Scotland, his father who he was very close with has just gone off into WWII to fight. His home has just been taken over by English soldiers to fight off the German's. His family has lost something too, life and laughter. But when Agnus comes across what looks like a strange rock, is actually an egg left by an Water Horse, the rarest of all creatures, there can only be one in the world at a time. But he takes care of the baby who is water bound, while protecting him from his mom and the soldiers. But when the water horse, he named Crusoe, has grown too big, he and a family friend put him in the Lochness Lake where he is spotted and is now known as the infamous Lochness Monster.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is truly and honestly a good film. It has such a magical touch like The Secret Garden, where it's a serious story, but it's for the family. I thought it was very well made, the visual effects are very good and not over done, which was great, because obviously the Lochness monster is going to be CGI, but they made it look so real, and so lovable, lol, like I said, I did cry, it's a tear jerker. The characters are terrific, they really found terrific actors for the roles. Alex Etel does a beautiful break out performance as Angus and was so charming. I would highly recommend The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, it's one of the best family films I have seen in a while.

8/10

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24 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
The right balance . . ., 27 December 2007
Author: John DeSando (jdesando@columbus.rr.com) from Columbus, Ohio

CGI—of course: You can't depict the Loch Ness monster with just the putative photo of the famous myth. But after you accept the clever graphics, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is just plain ol' good story telling, fit for pre-adolescent kids and their young-at-heart parents.

Narrator Brian Cox (his character is not identified) tells of WWII era in Scotland at the famous loch, where young Angus MacMorrow finds an egg at the shore and nurtures the lovable monster until he has to go to the loch to survive. The Scottish regiment occupying the home and the new handyman, Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), complicate life and endanger the elusive monster. Although the usual clueless mom (Emily Watson) and dangerous thugs are here to further the horror genre staples, the challenges Angus faces are instructive about the collision of reality and fantasy for an adolescent.

WWII looms large, a fitting embodiment of the challenges the unknown and potentially dangerous can be to the stability of the world. The fantasy world, centered on the monster, who becomes his best friend, collides with the reality of people who want to destroy the monster and the boy's imaginative life.

Mix in all this with the father who has been away to war, never to return, and you have a child's romance with the right balance of love and hate, certainty and uncertainty, illusion and reality. It's all much less sophisticated than Shrek, and more like Whale Rider, also filmed in New Zealand. In the latter, a girl rides a whale as an embodiment of the country's hope; in Water Horse, the boy rides the monster to expunge his own fear of water and elude the malignant forces of the adult world. Pretty heady stuff, that.

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25 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Highly recommended movie for all ages- don't miss it!, 6 January 2008

Author: debbie-willoughby from New Zealand

I have just returned from seeing The Water Horse with four of my children aged 16 to 4. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say the beginning was a little slow as Angus found the egg, but once all the characters were introduced, and Crusoe had hatched, the plot revved along. The pompous Army Captain was fun to watch! The WWII surrounds were wonderful, all the casting was excellent- no wrong notes by any of the cast. The boy playing Angus was really enjoyable to watch. It was a "children's movie" but as a forty-something adult I was swept along into the adventure and enjoyed it very much. I loved how the plot was multi-layered and plenty of tension as Crusoe comes under threat from some trigger-happy army soldiers. I have to point out that Lake Whakatipu in NZ's South Island was used for a lot of the Loch Ness scenes so should get credit from those who loved the scenery! Bravo to WETA Workshop for the realism and believability of the water horse- just gorgeous! He/she has plenty of screen time too. This is a great movie for all ages. It is sure-footed and very enjoyable!! For Kiwis watching it's fun spotting familiar faces in the supporting cast.

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16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Family Movie, 2 January 2008
Author: pclady60453 from United States

Heartwarming family entertainment. This movie has the feel of "ET" and "Dear Frankie" another great Scottish film. The setting is near Loch Ness in Scotland during World War II. The landscape of Scotland is a beautiful backdrop for the movie and the character of Angus just finds his way into your heart. There is laughter as well as many touching scenes. Of course, there is the anti-hero, there always is. And the war in Europe is also a "character" in the film as it affects people's lives. The theater where I saw the movie had many children in attendance and they all seemed to love this movie. And there is enough in the story to keep the adults involved also.

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18 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable family fare, 29 December 2007

Author: Scooter B from United States

I saw this film this afternoon with my partner. I agree with other posters that the opening modern day scene in the pub, setting up the narrator, felt forced and false. Otherwise, what a wonderful film this was! It's a real "coming of age" story of an introverted young boy, missing his dad (off to war) terribly, and the events that help him come out of his shell and begin to interact with others. The CGI water horse was totally convincing, from newborn baby just out of the egg to full-blown adulthood. It really had a personality. The actors were convincing in their roles, too. My partner and I were brought almost to tears, in a good way, by some scenes. The ending, which I will not reveal, brought the tale full circle beautifully. If not for the jarring narrator scenes, I would have rated this film higher than I did.

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25 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Just to See the Creature Itself Is Worth the Price of Admission Alone!, 28 December 2007

Author: polster3 from United States

Oh man! Me and my five year old son saw this movie tonight and we had a rollicking good time..... it started off slow and surprisingly somber ( the kids dad is off at war; he's lonely, sad ).... however, once the water horse itself grows and is released into the loch, the movie turns into magic! Seeing the full-grown Cruscoe rise from the depths of the water had us both wildly cheering out loud, and the scene when the kid rode on his back and went for an underwater sea romp was pure celluloid gold -- beautifully filmed and an AMAZING RIDE!!!! Furthermore, while the "drama" at the beginning lagged, I actually find myself kind of into the anti-war drama towards the end. All in all, a most satisfying night out at the movies!

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