The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

The Scottish tale of the Loch Ness Monster, the legendary "creature" said to be hovering underwater, never seems to fail in fascinating generations of audiences. In The Water Horse, which has obvious similarities to the famous myth, we see a fusion of humor, heart, and pure excitement merged into an incredible fantasy adventure for the kid in every one of us. It's not only the perfect holiday movie, but perhaps the most wondrous film of its kind since E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial touched down. In fact, it probably has even more in common with the latter than with the Loch Ness comparison, even though it all takes place in a region of Scotland bordering the famed site. Set in World War II, the story revolves around Angus (expertly played by Alex Etel), a lonely boy who comes upon a large egg that soon cracks and becomes a lovable baby sea creature (looking a lot like Shrek, but acting more like a mischievous puppy) that he secretly moves into the family bathtub and names Crusoe. Much like E.T., Crusoe wreaks havoc in the home where Angus lives with his mom (Emily Watson), who works as a housekeeper there. With help from his older sister (Priyanka Xi) and the handyman (Ben Chaplin) he adopts him as a pet, until he just becomes too big to manage and has to be banished from the house. Slapstick situations turn into wartime sequences as Angus fiercely fights to save the now-feared giant "creature of the Loch Ness" from British fighting forces stationed there. It's all been so skillfully directed by Jay Russell (whose My Dog Skip remains the best boy-and-his-dog movie ever) that you don't question a thing. With visually stunning state-of-the-art special effects that rival the year's best (courtesy of WETA, the New Zealand–based group that did The Lord of the Rings and King Kong,), this is fine entertainment that actually doesn't suck for anyone in the family.

Share