The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

My son has wanted to see The Water Horse since it first advertised over the summer. It came out on Christmas and we waited a few days before heading over to the theater. The story is based on a novel by Dick King-Smithand about the longtime tale of the Loch Ness Monster.

I assumed the majority of this film would concentrate on the young boy, Angus, finding the egg and keeping the water horse from his family as it out grew their house. But instead the story focuses a majority of the two hours on relationships of the characters. From the previews I would have considered this movie a mixture of comedy and drama, but I’m sure it was more or less a drama.

It centers around Scotland and the 1940’s. I was genuinely impressed with the authentic setting and replication of the era. I never fully understood the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster, so this was an enjoyable explanation.

Angus lost his father, but hasn’t accepted that he isn’t returning. He becomes very attached to the water horse, which he named Crusoe, and struggles to give it freedom. Kids will relate to the story of wanting a pet to call their own.

A new handyman that closely resembles his father was confusing to my son, because of the close resemblance in appearance. For a young child the movie drug out a little too long and at times seemed to lose it’s direction (and his attention). The story line changes to getting the water horse out of the loch (over a net) and into the open sea, which reminded me a lot of Free Willy.

In the end good prevails of course, and it does have some humorous moments. For a five year old it had a few violent scenes and unexpected scares. Overall, it is a family-friendly movie with a good mixture of fantasy included.

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!