|
The Water Horse: Legend
of the Deep
Directed by: Jay Russell
Starring: Alex Etel
Genre:
Science Fiction/
Fantasy
Run Time: 112 min.
Release Date:
December 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND
OF THE DEEP has the look and feel of an overly cutesy flick with
plenty of eye-candy, and that certainly is mostly the case. But it also
has a lot of story behind it, too. And what I mean by that is it has
several layers of varying stories all unfolding at the same time,
something that goes a bit beyond the cute and fuzzy.
It is (no surprise to many) the story of Loch Ness and its infamous
monster, but with a twist towards kids and a nod to ancient myth (which
isn’t very kid-like). The main thrust of the story is given over to a
young lad named Angus MacMorrow (relative unknown Alex Etel) and his
struggling family as they oversee a nice piece of property near the loch
during WW II. Wandering around the shore one day, young Angus happens
upon a strange looking stone that he picks up and brings home. Little
does he know that what he’s found is the rarest of the rare: an egg
containing a water horse. He takes the egg into his father’s shop (who
is away fighting the war) and leaves it one night, only to discover it
hatched the following morning. He tries desperately to hide this new
creature from his mother, his sister, and an inquisitive but helpful
handyman named Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chapin,
THE NEW WORLD).
In the meantime we learn that the war is bringing a brigade of men to
Angus’ family’s home; there to prevent German subs from entering the
loch via the sea and threatening the Scottish countryside. Angus is
forced to hide his new friend (yes, he becomes buddy-buddy with the
water horse) from everyone but is eventually forced to release him into
the loch as he grows at an incredible rate.
The dangers to the water horse are presented when he (it?) is mistaken
for a submarine and is fired upon by artillery emplacements along the
banks of Loch Ness. Dangers to the horse, Angus, his family, and
everything they hold dear come crashing down as everyone learns (and
sees) what Angus was protecting.
Probably most cutesy are the hugs and overly-friendly chumminess that
Angus and his new dinosaur buddy have toward one another. But the
special effects and scenery (I saw this on Blu-Ray disc) were fairly
phenomenal. The colorful heather of the hills against the grayish skin
tones of the water horse were impressive (noteworthy: Weta Digital did
the special effects, the same company that did
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
trilogy).
Surrounding these fantastical events are very human elements. Angus’
family hides from him the fact that his father won’t be coming home from
the war; a heart-wrenching event for Angus considering the closeness he
had with his father, and this makes his friendship with the water horse
all the more important to the viewer and Angus (who will obviously soon
learn the truth about his father’s death). There is also a short
side-story about Lewis, the handyman who shows up to help the family.
Hiding his scars from the war, Lewis doesn’t get along with many people,
least of all the British Army leaders who are camped alongside the loch.
The audience wonders if he’s AWOL from the war but soon learn a much
more important element about him. There is also the story of a mother
trying to protect her family from the horrors of war, even as it sits
down right in her own backyard.
The ancient myth that presses itself into the story is in reference to
something called a “kelpie”, a malevolent beast of Celtic lore that
would disguise itself as a horse to lure unsuspecting victims to it.
Once mounted, it would drag him or her down to their watery death. Like
I said, not very kid-like.
But it was nice to see these additions to what could have been a simple
huggy-huggy, kissie-kissie flick. The depth was needed and that,
accompanied with some outstanding visual effects, bumped it up to an
acceptable viewing.
(back to top) |
Image from The Water
Horse: Legend of the Deep
DVD cost: $24.99
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The title, 'The Water
Horse', is a reference to the kelpie, a malevolent beast of Celtic lore
that would disguise itself as a horse to lure unsuspecting victims to
it. Once the unfortunate soul had mounted the kelpie, it would drag him
or her down to their watery death.
Movie Quote: "It
looks like a water horse. They aren't supposed to be real."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
   |
