Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

the-pyat I enjoyed this film. I loved the setting especially. Who wouldn't? Plus, the story line flowed well and the special effects were amazing. Indeed, this film would have received at least 8 stars IF it had bothered to cast more Scottish actors. Since it didn't, it gets just 3. I picked up on only two genuine accents: Brian Cox, of course, and probably one of the fishermen. Ben Chaplin puts in a noble effort, and the boy can almost be forgiven for limping along trying to shape his mouth like a Scot, but casting a bunch of Sassenachs muddling through the burr while accusing each other of being Sassenachs is incredibly lame. Emily Watson and I both were most at ease when her mouth was shut during a scene. Misery to watch her try to portray a Scottish mother. There are tons of excellent Scottish actors. What's the matter with you, Liz Mullane and Susie Figgis, that you thought this would fly? Big mistake for an otherwise wonderful movie.

ma-cortes The ¨Water Horse¨ is a fun movie starred by a lonely boy who is really traumatized , but long time ago his daddy disappeared . The movie is set in Scotland , during the violent, turbulent 1940s when the Second World War was in progress , there a boy called Jock McGowan discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend . It grows hugely as a large Brontosaurus-alike on the loose in a Scotland loch , terrorizing the inhabitants . The great creature stays in the loch where roams for facing off the fears but his main enemy , the British Army , is lurking and savagely stalking its prey . At the end the family heads for the Scottish Highlands to save the Nessie legend .The creature delivers the goods with outstanding special effects when the sympathetic monster appears but it seems to be alive . Although this Sony Picture production is not lewd in any sense , beware of several scenes displaying some violence . A good family formed by a widow , a child a teenager daughter , a handy man and a giant Brontosaurius share an agreeable relationship that forges the backbone of this emotionally satisfying film . Here filmmaker Jay Russell tackled his most commercial and children oriented project . However , the picture relies heavily on the overly maudlin relationship between the the little boy and the Nessie legend . Although , it seems to be a Brontosaurus , the standard image of Scottish lake monster was revised to be shaped like a dinosaur or a Plesiosaur . In traditional Scottish mythology, 'The Water Horse' aka 'Kelpie' is a sea beast that appears in a pleasing form to lure unsuspecting victims . Kelpie stories come from all over Scotland, and are not exclusively associated with Loch Ness . Nature of the beast was subsequently changed to become docile, cute and cuddly, because this image is more convenient for creating a tourist attraction . The association of these monsters with Loch Ness specifically, only came about because the first published photo of such a "creature" was made there, around 1933 . After that picture -called the "Surgeon's Photo" and seen frequently in this film- became world-famous in 1934, several similar monsters were "sighted" in various locations . The fact that these "sightings" are so convenient for entertainment culture and the tourist industry, suggests that the phenomenon is commercial rather than biological . This well received fantasy was also nominated for a Critic's Choice Award for one of the Best Family Films of 2008 . The film was a hit with critics and audiences alike and eventually went on to score numerous awards . Weta Digital and FX Departments take care of the monster's excellent Animatronics and magnificent visual effects . This Sony Picture's "Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," was one of the best reviewed family films of 2008 and achieved big hit in worldwide box office . Starring Alex Etel and Academy Award winner Emily Watson , the film was also nominated by the Visual Effects Society for the groundbreaking digital work of the world famous New Zealand FX company , Weta Digital . Also well starred by Ben Chaplin , David Morrissey and mention special for the veteran Brian Cox . Sensitive as well as thrilling musical score by James Newton Howard . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Oliver Stapleton . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Jay Russell . Worldwide, "The Water Horse," became Russell's second $100 + million dollar moneymaker in a row . In the mid nineties Russell produced a number of documentary series and specials for the Discovery Channel . It was during the filming of "Great Drives" that Russell met Pulitzer nominated author Willie Morris. In 2000, Warner Bros. released the Russell Directed film adaptation of "My Dog Skip" written by Morris , which starred Kevin Bacon, Frankie Muniz, Luke Wilson and Diane Lane . Russell followed up with Walt Disney's "Tuck Everlasting" (2002) starring Alexis Bledel along with Academy Award winners, Sir Ben Kingsley, William Hurt and Sissy Spacek. In 2004, he directed a Disney/Touchstone Picture : "Ladder 49" , an ode to the heroism of firefighters, starred Academy Award nominees John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix as a pair of Baltimore firemen .

SnoopyStyle It's the darkest days of WWII. Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) is a little boy living in Scotland waiting for the return of his father. He's afraid of the water but he finds an odd rock by the loch. It hatches into a tiny little creature. His sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) eventually finds out while they try to hide it from their mother (Emily Watson) who is the housekeeper for an estate. Complicating matters are the British troops under the command of Capt. Hamilton (David Morrissey) and the new hire Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) who are staying at the estate. Then there is the hunt for Nazi submarines.It's a fine little children's movie with a slightly darker edge. It's not a cartoon or particularly silly. Nobody will look for a stuff animal from this movie for a gift. It's not that cute. Little Alex Etel is the cute one in this movie. Basically this children movie hasn't been Disneyfied for both good and bad. The accents and old manor set may put off the kids if they're not Brits. Also I don't think the modern day storyline is particularly useful.

Roland E. Zwick Directed by Jay Russell, "The Water Horse-Legend of the Deep" is yet another in a long line of "E.T.-The Extraterrestrial"-wannabes (heck, even the two movies' titles sound the same) – only in this case the adorable alien from outer space has been replaced by the only slightly less adorable and certainly far more unwieldy creature known in folklore as the Loch Ness Monster. It's almost as if little Elliot had wandered into "Jurassic Park" instead of the forest near his house.The Elliot of this tale is one Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel), a lonely lad living with his mother (Emily Watson) and older sister in a lakeside village in 1942 Scotland. Angus' dad is currently off serving in the war and the young boy counts the days till his planned return. One day, while playing in a local tide pool, Angus uncovers a mysterious giant egg which he takes home with him, only to discover that out of it has hatched a strange and heretofore mythological creature known as a water-horse. Angus goes through the requisite routine of making friends with the creature, trying to hide him from the others in the household, frantically trying to save him from the military-industrial-complex forces out to destroy him, becoming all teary-eyed and emotional at their inevitable separation - in short, just about everything Spielberg did so masterfully in "E.T.," and that has been so dishonored in the imitation.Luckily, the movie does improve a bit in the second half, when the script turns away from the "E.T." parallels and towards the wartime aspects of the tale. But even here the military characters are largely two-dimensional in nature, with only Angus' mom and a newly arrived handyman by the name of Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) providing any real human drama. The script by Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on the book by Dick King-Smith, also employs the cheesiest story-framing device of them all – the now-grownup character spinning the yarn to a spellbound audience in the form of an extended flashback – to tell its tale.The special effects are wildly uneven, with some of the CGI looking mighty convincing and some of it looking like badly processed rear-screen projection from thirty-some-odd years ago. Moreover, one scene, involving Angus' activities with the creature in the water, is so utterly implausible that even a movie as based as this one is on asking the audience to suspend its disbelief can't quite pull it off.Even with an original theme song written and sung by Sinead O'Connor, this aquatic a-boy-and-his-dog story is all wet.