“The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep” (Sony Pictures)
A Lot Like “E.T.”, Maybe Too Much
“The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep” is a story about a young boy whose father is not in the picture. He discovers a magical creature that brings joy back into his life. Then the military tries to destroy the creature. It escapes but ends up having to leave the little boy behind. Sound familiar Sound sort of “E.T.-ish” Well that is a good thing and a bad thing, and the comparison both helps and hurts the newer film.
The setting of this movie is Scotland in the early 1940’s. Angus McMorrow (Alex Etel) is grieving for his father who is serving in the Navy. A solitary child he is drawn to the water but is afraid of it. One day on the shore he discovers an egg like shell and takes it home. Later the shell hatches and a water horse is born. Angus names the creature “Crusoe” and makes him his pet.
He keeps the creature hidden from his mother (Emily Watson) but does let his sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) in on the secret. Later he also enlists the assistance of their handyman, Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin).
The creature continues to grow and becomes so big Angus and Lewis have to release him into the Loch. There they think he will be safe, but then the Army arrives to set up a unit to guard the Loch against submarines. Crusoe’s long neck can some times look like a periscope so there is bound to be trouble.
Etel is very good as Angus. He is very natural in his speech and behavior. The special effects that create the creature are wonderful and you can totally believe the relationship between the child and the water horse. Watson is a little too remote as the mother but Chaplin is accessible as the handyman. David Morrissey is the villain of the piece as Captain Hamilton but even he has some redemptive moments.
The film is rated PG for violence and tense sequences.
The story is played out with warmth and sentiment but also with enough tension and danger to make it unsuitable for smaller children. Perhaps I am being overly cautious but the sight of the creature being bombarded with shells was pretty intense for me.
The film has some of the same wondrous moments that were part of “E. T.” and the magic is the same. Both are movies about a young boy and a wondrous magical creature. But perhaps the too close resemblance to Spielberg’s movie makes this one lose some points for originality.
You will lose your heart to “The Water Horse” but in the back of your mind you might have a prickling feeling you have seen it all somewhere else.
I scored “The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep” a magical 6 out of 10.
