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| The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep (Two-Disc Special Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Jay Russell
Actors: Alex Etel, Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Brian Cox
Studio: Columbia Tri/Star
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.96
Buy Used: $5.98
You Save: $22.98 (79%)
New (65) Used (46) Collectible (4) from $5.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  95 reviews
Sales Rank: 795
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 112
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: COLD18456D
UPC: 043396184565
EAN: 0043396184565
ASIN: B0012IWO0I
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: All of our used items are 100% Guaranteed to play.
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Product Description
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 11/25/2008 Run time: 112 minutes Rating: Pg
Amazon.com
Based on a novel by Dick King-Smith, author of The Sheep Pig (from which Babe was adapted), the touching and often spectacular The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep ingeniously presumes to explain the truth behind "Nessie," i.e., the Loch Ness Monster. The story, told in present day to a couple of American tourists by a kindly gentleman (Brian Cox) in a pub, begins with a lonely boy, Angus (Alex Etel), pining for his father, who is serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. Angus, along with his sister (Priyanka Xi) and mother (Emily Watson), live on an estate that has been billeted by soldiers in the Scottish Highlands, near Loch Ness. The troop's commander (David Morissey) has an eye for mom, suspicions about a mysterious handyman, Lewis (Ben Chaplin), who is also a war hero, and an absurd contention that the Highlands are the real frontline in the war against Germany.
Into this intriguing drama comes a completely different element, a fantastical creature of Celtic mythology that befriends Angus and is, in fact, the sea-beast who will eventually be known as the Loch Ness Monster. Trying to hide the dinosaur-like fellow, nicknamed Crusoe, Angus enlists Lewis to transfer it to the lake, where boy and serpent have extraordinary adventures together until human stupidity threatens Crusoe's existence. A true family film, there is a lot for adults to like about the grownup story in The Water Horse. Meanwhile, the wistful relationship between Angus and Crusoe--each of whom helps the other move past obstacles toward their individual destinies--will leave children feeling both happy and melancholy in the best possible sense. Directed by Jay Russell (My Dog Skip), The Water Horse is the best of a mini-genre of films about or inspired by old Nessie. --Tom Keogh Beyond The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep 
On Blu-ray | 
Paperback Novel | 
CD Soundtrack | Stills from The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...
Much better than the trailers January 22, 2008
26 out of 27 found this review helpful
The legend is only one water horse lives per generation. When the old one is ready to die, they lay an egg from which the new water horse is hatched and must grow up on its own as an orphan.
In this case, a young boy named Angus McMurrow found the egg and helped the waterhorse hatch and grow. That's not a mean feat, considering this is World War II and a cadre of British soldiers are staying in the manor house where Angus' family lives. But if any kid is in need of a friend, it's Angus. You see, his father went off to war--and Angus still believes he's going to come back despite being told to the contrary. Angus finds a surprising ally in Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), a returning soldier who still believes in the old myths and is in need of a dream as much as Angus is.
Of course, the complication is the British soldiers led by a toff commander who's noble father probably stuck him in Scotland to keep him out of the action. They think that the Germans are going to come down Loch Ness and they've got the guns and ammo to take care of the problem if they do. Not a healthy environment for a baby water horse to grow up in...
"Water Horse" is beautifully filmed. It captures the rugged beauty of Scotland amazingly. The soundtrack, by James Newton Howard (of Toto fame and too many soundtracks to name) is gorgeous. The music is perfect--as always.
Warnings:
Kids younger than five had problems with some of the scenes and a couple had to escort their frightened parents out into the lobby
"Seeing Is Believing" January 2, 2008
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
Crossing a tale between an explanation of the fabled Loch Ness Monster with the backdrop of World War II, `Deep Water Horse' comes across as `Pan's Labyrinth' for children. Full of whimsy and brimming with innocence, the movie is a harbor for the imagination.
Taking place in Scotland where the legend of Loch Ness has allegedly been spotted, an elderly man engages a couple at the local pub where he relates a fabled adventure of the past. Transporting us in the narrative to 1942, Angus MacMorrow examines some "magical shells" around Loch Ness to collect and take home. His father has been absent from The War for about a year now. Angus (perfectly cast as Alex Etel of `Millions' fame) spots one and takes it home to his father's workshop where he tries to pry through its exterior to find dazzling layers beneath. Being called away, it is a short time later that noise in the shop alerts him of some new development. Angus to his astonishment sees a creature waddling on the floor of his father's shop. Looking much like a cross between a seal and a platypus, the awkward young thing soon takes a liking to Angus who feeds it and makes some space for him in a bucket of water.
The trouble is Crusoe, as he soon names him, grows very quickly. Trying futilely to keep him from his sister, Anne (Emily Watson), his mother (Lorraine McDonald), and a newly hired hand, Lewis (Ben Chaplin), he, nevertheless, puts him in the bathtub. Soon everyone except his mother is in on the secret, but once he grows too big, it is apparent he must let him go back to the water to accommodate his amphibious nature.
Enter the Scottish army. While they laudably provided for the Allies, they do make life uncomfortable for Angus and will soon do so for Crusoe when they find his presence in Loch Ness. Captain Hamilton (David Morrissey) is a reassuring presence for his mother, who certainly could use a man around the house, but the changes are certainly unsettling for Angus, who needs Crusoe as a reassuring outlet and companion. Crusoe is a nice escape for a boy who misses his father and must deal with a surrogate who knows little more than to say, "The boy needs more discipline." (In this way I saw the closest parallel to Pan's Labyrinth.)
The scenes when Angus rides and befriends Crusoe are a highlight of the film, and the playful voyage is filled with nifty special effects. Some of the chase scenes in the harbor and around the house keep a playful spirit to the adventure. Like 'Stardust' and 'Enchanted' before it, 'Water Horse' is an entertaining and fun ride. While some of the elements borrow a bit from the classic 'E.T.,' this film is original and transporting enough in its own right. (Based on the book by Dick King-Smith)
 When you wish for magic, you might get a handful May 11, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Angus MacMorrow is the lonely son of the head housekeeper of a Scottish manor, on the shores of Loch Ness. It is World War Two, and Angus's father went to serve in the Royal Navy. Angus is struggling to accept the possibility that his father might not come back.
While Angus is not allowed to have any pets, as his family does not own the estate where they live, he unexpectedly finds a most unexpected pet, when he brings an egg back from the shore of Loch Ness. A magical creature, straight out of Celtic legends, the water horse is also known as a kelpie. It is now known by another name: the Loch Ness monster. But, when the egg hatches, what emerges acts much more like a puppy than a monster. However, water horses grow very rapidly, and the situation quickly gets out of hand, as Angus tries to keep his pet, whom he has named Crusoe, a secret.
Two other factors come into play, as a mysterious stranger, Lewis Mowbray, shows up, plus a detachment of the Royal Army arrives under the dubious leadership of Captain Thomas Hamilton. Captain Hamilton distrusts Lewis, and is very attracted to Angus's mother, Anne Mac Morrow. Hamilton also feels that Angus needs more discipline, while Lewis and Angus become friends, as well as allies in keeping Crusoe a secret. It is Lewis who recognizes Crusoe as the legendary water horse.
Things get very complicated when Hamilton pursues his cockamamie idea that Loch Ness will become a front in the war, vulnerable to a German submarine attack. His response to this bizarre idea, that might be an unconscious, or conscious, way for Hamilton to keep himself out of any real fighting, eventually puts Crusoe and Angus in great jeopardy. This all leads to a stunning, fast-paced climax, where both tragedy and triumph are possible. One suggestion: If you watch this film have no lights on in the room, when you watch that sequence, as it is very dark.
Cast: There are no weak spots in the cast, but four characters really stand out and dominate their scenes.
The entire story is being told, in retrospect, in modern-day Scotland, by an older gentleman to a pair of tourists, in a pub. You do not find out who the older man until the very end, but he tells the tale perfectly, and captures the attention of his audience, and mine. He is portrayed by Brian Cox, and he is perfectly cast.
Ben Chaplin portrays the mysterious Lewis Mowbray, and he is also perfectly cast. Despite his air of mystery and tendency to be evasive about his past, he gives a thoroughly likeable Mowbray, whom you know, and Angus knows, can be trusted.
Alex Etel was a real find by director Jay Russell, and is brilliant as Angus. He gives us a very credible little boy who desperately wants to believe in some things, while not wanting to believe the awful reality of his father's fate. Much of the film focuses on Angus, and he never stumbles or disappoints. In the Special Features, you see that Jay Russell immediately knew he had found the right boy to portray Angus, when he met him. You also see how physically demanding the role was.
The other main character is Crusoe, and it is a real tribute to the special effects team that they could take computer-generated graphics and a set of models, and give us a magical beast that is noble, powerful, vulnerable, playful, thoroughly bonded with Angus, and highly expressive. I was especially impressed that, while the water horse grows rapidly, and does change as he grows, Crusoe remains Crusoe throughout the film. Plus, I never felt the interactions between Crusoe and the human actors were "off" or not realistic-looking.
Two memorable moments There is a famous/infamous photograph of the Loch Ness monster, taken back in the thirties, that was later proven to be bogus. This film gives us a moment of comic relief, by giving a version of how that picture came to be.
Just as Angus's mother is chastising him for believing in the old water horse legend, and giving Lewis an equally hard time for encouraging Angus to believe in such nonsense, all the characters stop looking at her, and look behind her. Her look, when she turns around, is priceless, and rivals the moment of wonder we saw in Sam Neill and Laura Dern, early in the original Jurassic Park (Widescreen Collector's Edition).
Chris McCallister, author of Coming Full Circle
 What happened to the girl ? April 7, 2008
7 out of 20 found this review helpful
In the book the main character is the sister. The change to a boy was not lost on my 10-year-old daughter, who lost interest in seeing the movie once she figured out from the previews that the sister lost out on the story. I don't see any reason for the big change - did they think no one would have actually read the book ?
3 Great reasons to see this film;the director,the cameraman and the composer January 15, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Don't dismiss this film as a kid's flick folks.You will do yourself a disservice.(Read other reviewer's plot synopses...this is not my reason for review!)
In 2001 I had the privilege to work for director Jay Russell when he was here in Baltimore to film his second feature film Tuck Everlasting.His first film had been a sleeper hit,My Dog Skip (Keepcase).Russell is a very exacting individual and things will change and change and change until they are what he wants! I admired this in him,and consequently both of his films,very "G" to "PG", are beautifully and wonderfully tender and sentimental and really have staying power.So, though Russell generally aims for wide appeal to all audiences,I knew that THE WATER HORSE would require Kleenex and a huge cheer.I was right.The story is really quite simple as all of his films are...the "truth" behind the fantasy of The Loch Ness Monster of Scottish lore. BUT, there are two other reasons that this Jay Russell film should be viewed by film buffs who can see beyond that this is potentially a "Family Film" only.Russell was able to secure Oscar winning cinematographer Dick Pope (The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Widescreen Edition),Topsy-Turvy,Nicholas Nickleby etc) (see my Listmania ) who in my opinion is unrivaled in camera work in current cinema; and the next reason to view THE WATER HORSE is for top soundtrack composer James Newton Howard's amazing Celtic score (Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep with the help of Ireland's #1 group "The Chieftains" and singing sensation Sinead O'Connor.Russell,Pope and Howard take this film way beyond "just for children" and delight the artist's eyes and ears.There is more to a film than just the story.It is all about the packaging and delivery that makes 'em enduring and endearing.Young and old,artist or not,THE WATER HORSE is a first class trip into excellent film making.
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