MOVIE
REVIEW: THE WATER HORSE
Legend of the Deep

12/19/07

SYNOPSIS: The Academy Award®-winning producer and special-effects team behind The Lord of the Rings join with Revolution Studios, Walden Media (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Beacon Pictures to bring to the screen the magical motion picture The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep. The story begins when Angus, a young Scottish boy, finds an enchanted egg. Taking it home, he soon finds himself face-to-face with an amazing creature: the mythical “water horse” of Scottish lore. Angus begins a journey of discovery, facing his greatest fears and risking his life to protect a secret that would give birth to a legend.
© Columbia Pictures. All
rights reserved
REVIEW: The title
itself suggests something magical and uncommon. If you’ve
seen the poster, you know what I’m talking about. Yet the
only aspect that is fantasy in this film is the mystical
creature itself, the water horse, a.k.a. Crusoe. The rest of
the movie is well grounded and realistic in the harsh
setting of 1942 Scotland during World War II. A boy, Angus
MacMorrow (Alex Etel) is a troubled child whose father has
gone off to war. Missing him terribly he mostly keeps to
himself until the fateful day he encounters an odd egg and
his life would never be the same.
This movie is an adventurous treat for kids of all ages.
Even though it follows the typical story pattern of the
relationship between a child and his/her pet and the
predictable conflicts that arise, this is no ordinary pet.
What makes this picture different and special is the water
horse, Crusoe. The rest of story is pretty standard. A
friendless boy desperately in need of filling the void left
by the absence of his father finds companionship in the form
of an animal. Ring any bells? But still, give this one some
credit for being unique in the choice of animal. The World
War II setting also gives it a more dramatic backdrop. And
I’ve got to say that the Scottish accent was very charming.
The panoramic views, be it the glistening sea, the flowing
green hills and mountains, the quaint little town, and even
the home of the MacMorrows, are completely breath-taking.
The makers of this film really did a nice job with
cinematography. The special effects used to bring Crusoe to
life were pretty impressive too. Not the best I’ve ever seen
but still good. For some reason the interaction with Crusoe
reminded me of the Harry Potter movies. Hmmm. And even
though I’ve never seen Free Willy, this movie reminded me of
that one too. Go figure. I guess you’ll know why if you see
the movie.
The characters, other than Angus, Lewis Mowbray (Ben
Chaplin), and Crusoe, and not very well developed. But then
again, in a movie geared towards kids, it’s not as important
as say the story or the A.D.D. defense mechanisms. Lewis
Mowbray is a recently hired handyman to help around the
house. Not only does he do that, he gives much needed help
to Angus with Crusoe. Crusoe becomes increasingly more
difficult to manage due to his alarming growth rate. Even
though Crusoe is an animal, he has quite the personality and
steals every scene he’s in. Crusoe does have an adequate
supporting cast with names like Brian Cox, Ben Chaplin,
David Morrissey, and Emily Watson as Anne MacMorrow, Angus’
mother. They each give commendable performances. Alex Etel’s
role as Angus is key to the success of this movie and
although I’ve seen stronger performances from other children
this year, he does a good job in getting the viewer attached
to his character. Director Jay Russell (My Dog Skip, Tuck
Everlasting, Ladder 49) has done some nice work and even
though this project has some weaknesses, he manages to pull
out a good enough production that the kids will enjoy and
parents won’t mind watching either.
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
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