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Movies / On DVD / The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

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The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)

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Reviews Counted:81

Fresh:59

Rotten:22

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: The Water Horse is a fine family film. It takes a classic tale and infuses it with extra imagination, sly humor, heart, and inventive special effects.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some action/peril, mild language and brief smoking.

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:08-02-2008

Synopsis: Based on the novel by BABE author Dick King-Smith, THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP is set in Scotland during World War II, and focuses on Angus (Alex Etel), a young boy who discovers an unusual... Based on the novel by BABE author Dick King-Smith, THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP is set in Scotland during World War II, and focuses on Angus (Alex Etel), a young boy who discovers an unusual egg at Loch Ness. When the egg hatches to reveal a dinosaur-like creature, Angus finds that he has a unique pet--a mythical "water horse," which he names Crusoe. Complicating matters are Crusoe's fast growth rate and soldiers stationed near the lake, factors that make it very tricky to keep the friendly beastie a secret. A thoroughly likable family film directed by Jay Russell (TUCK EVERLASTING), THE WATER HORSE provides an intriguing spin on the classic boy-and-his-dog tale. While Etel, who won over audiences in MILLIONS, ably carries the movie, he is supported by a topnotch ensemble that includes Emily Watson as his mother, newcomer Priyanka Xi as his sister, and Ben Chaplin as a good-natured handyman. Primarily sharing the screen with Etel, however, is the Loch Ness Monster-in-the-making, which is wonderfully rendered by Weta, the company behind the digital effects for THE LORD OF THE RINGS films. Both cute and--in his larger state--intimidating, Crusoe strikes up a surprisingly believable relationship with Angus, providing the heart of this beautifully photographed story. [More]

Starring: Emily Watson, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey

Starring: Emily Watson, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Brian Cox

Director: Jay Russell

Director: Jay Russell
Screenwriter: Robert Nelson Jacobs
Producer: Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae, Barrie M. Osbourne, Charlie Lyons
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Reviews for The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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... we are able to sit back and enjoy the fun without ever losing sight of the sadness underneath.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/04/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

The story nicely interweaves the legend of the Loch Ness monster with a tale of childhood angst, wartime drama and adventure.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/17/08
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Pleasingly evokes the days when Roddy McDowall frolicked with Flicka and Lassie, [but] it must be said that a CGI pet is not quite so easy to love as a flesh-and-blood performer, animal or human.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
04/06/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Mal conseguindo ocultar o fato de ter sido claramente inspirado em "E.T.", é um filme terrivelmente irregular que traz personagens esquemáticos e um monstrinho tão "simpáticos" que jamais temos certeza se este irá devorar seu amigo humano ou não.

comment 2 Comments
02/14/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

'Tis a great beastie, and not a wee pig, this time around.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
02/09/08
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

The only reasons to stay awake are the nature porn shots of the Highlands impossibly green hills and gray skies, and a nimble bit performance by a bulldog named Churchill

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
01/29/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

It doesn't condescend to kids; its themes and narrative structure are fairly sophisticated.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
01/14/08
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Although it's a fantasy, 'The Water Horse' makes us believe we're actually seeing 1940s Scotland on the big screen.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/12/08
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

An intelligent and family-friendly variation on the boy and his dog story in which the 'dog' is a cuddly little creature that turns into the Loch Ness monster.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
01/10/08
M. K. Terrell
M. K. Terrell
Christian Science Monitor

A heart-warming film about a boy and a magic sea creature, The Water Horse captures the wonder of a timeless tale by combining good storytelling with a strong sense of time and place

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/08/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

The Water Horse's fluctuation between wholesome kiddie flick, complete with silly humor, and dark fantasy/coming-of-age drama ultimately proves too unwieldy for the filmmakers to handle, causing the film to sink under the weight of all its well-meaning bu

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
01/08/08
Stax
Stax
IGN Movies

[A] disappointing mixed bag.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment 1 Comment
01/07/08
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

...the pacing flags a bit in the protracted climax, but it's fun overall.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
01/04/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

The film does affirm the basic message of the best kind of fairy tale: as with water, so with other things: there is more to this world than what we see on the surface.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
01/04/08
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

One of the strengths of The Water Horse is that it doesn’t compromise and keeps things real even with the fantastical elements.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
01/03/08
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

Predictable family fantasy not as good as book.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
01/02/08
Charles Cassady
Charles Cassady
Common Sense Media

If you're in search of family fare that won't have the adults in the audience checking their watches, this is it.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
01/02/08
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Despite the drama, there is nothing in The Water Horse that will frighten young children. The cast is good, and the special effects are even better.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
12/31/07
Maria Garcia
Maria Garcia
Film Journal International

You can't go wrong with a family movie about a boy and his pet ... even if that pet goes from the size of a puppy to a full-blown sea monster in a matter of days.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
12/29/07
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Russell scores big by casting young Alex Etel as Angus. Etel made us believe in saints in the film Millions. Now he makes us believes that a computer generated water horse is a living and breathing creature.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
12/28/07
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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