The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep [Blu-ray]

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Editorial Reviews:

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

Two-Disc Special Edition

Paperback Novel

CD Soundtrack

Stills from The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (click for larger image)

Product Description
When a lonely young boy named Angus discovers a large mysterious egg along the shores of Loch Ness no one is prepared for what lies within. He soon discovers that the strange mischievous hatchling inside is none other than The Water Horse the loch's most mysterious and fabled creature! But with the Water Horse growing ten times its size every day Angus finds it increasingly difficult to keep his new friend a secret.System Requirements:Running Time: 112 minutesFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 043396238589 Manufacturer No: 23858

Customer Reviews: Read 82 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Free Crusoe January 20, 2008
29 out of 42 found this review helpful

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS)

1.Boy and girl live with Mom after Dad goes to war
2.They happen to live on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Ness
3.Boy misses Dad terribly
4.Boy doesn't realize that taking home oval shaped "rocks" can lead to problems (see Eragon)
5."Rock" hatches, causing monster problem
6.Soldiers take over boy's home just in case the enemy attacks the Highlands
7.There's something in the Loch
8.Much too big to ride a seahorse, boy rides a water horse instead
9.For rest of movie, see Free Willy.
10.The end - or is it?

This is a tear-inducing, fuzzy family movie in the mold of E.T. and Free Willy, which also offers an explanation for the legend of the Loch Ness monster, known here as Crusoe, the water horse. No great classic, but a pleasant enough diversion for the whole family.

Amanda Richards, January 20, 2008

4 out of 5 stars

Much better than the trailers January 22, 2008
28 out of 29 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

4 out of 5 stars

"Seeing Is Believing" January 2, 2008
21 out of 26 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)

5 out of 5 stars

When you wish for magic, you might get a handful May 11, 2008
20 out of 21 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

5 out of 5 stars

A well done fantasy that is much more than the Monster May 22, 2008
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

What is unusual about this story is that while it involves a magical monster, the movie is really about the family, the situation, and involves the monster - the Water Horse - almost incidentally. The story we see is a visualization of a story told in a pub by an older man in response to a young couple's comment about the famous picture of the Loch Ness Monster. The story begins during World War II in Scotland at and near Loch Ness. It is about a boy, Angus MacMorrow, who is terrified of the water and yet is drawn to it. He finds a strange egg and when it hatches into a strange creature much like a miniature sea dinosaur with funny looking horn like knobs on its head, he befriends and cares for it.

Angus lives on a huge estate because his mother, Anne, runs the staff of servants for the absent Lord. Her husband was lost at sea when his ship was torpedoed and while she realizes she is a widow, Angus keeps his father's workshop as a shrine and is determined he will return. The army comes to the estate and sets up camp ostensibly to protect Scotland from an invasion of the German Navy from the North Sea into the Loch. In reality, someone in power gave the commander this assignment to protect him and keep him out of the way. The commander seems to be the only one oblivious to the silly nature of his mission and he treats it with a dangerous seriousness. He also takes a shine to the widow Anne, and while she is flattered she has her son's troubles and running the estate on her mind.

Angus tries to keep the growing monster hidden and has to enlist his reluctant sister and the new handyman, the stranger Lewis Mowbray. Eventually, the Water Horse has to be put in the Loch and Angus says good-bye. But the connection between the two is too strong to be denied. This is where the magical adventure begins and has a big part in transforming and saving young Angus. However, the military inadvertently gets on the monster's last nerve and some very bad things ensue. Of course, no one in the military takes Angus seriously, but it is up to Angus to aid the Water Horse and open his mother's eyes.

I will let you find out what happens in the story, but it is all quite well done. Nothing that happens is too shocking, but is often quite touching. The movie's effects are also quite well done and even impressive. But I will point out again how impressed I was that they used the Water Horse well, but not as the consuming focus of the story.

While it is a family film, kids below eight may have trouble following the story unless they are quite bright. The story has a number of threads that you have to keep track of. Maybe little kids will get enough out of the effects and the slapstick with the dog and the military guys that they won't care that they aren't able to put everything together.

The acting is all quite well done and a cut about what we usually get in these kinds of fantasies.

Enjoy!

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

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