Jason KingThe Water Horse ($14-)
July 19th 2008 00:25
The Water Horse ($14-)
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.
Very similar to stories like Babe, ET, Charlotte's Web this is a must see family film that has you laughing and crying all in the same scene. As one US critic writes "'Tis a great beastie, and not a wee pig, this time around.". I found it a great spin on the Loch Ness story told so many times before to not much success. I was drawn to the film because I really love kids films, so much more fantasy and fun involved and also because of the lead Alex Etel who I fell in love with as the young kid in Millions, one of my fave films. Emma Watson, as per normal, is fabulous as is Ben Chapman (The Thin Red Line). I did find the Captain Hamilton (David Morrissey) annoying but that's his character and he did it justice.
The film does take some liberties with Scottish geography (due to the film having been shot largely in New Zealand):
* The opening shot is of Eilean Donan Castle which is on the west coast of Scotland, some 35 miles west of Loch Ness.
* A panning shot past Urquhart Castle (which is on the banks of Loch Ness) reveals some large islands in the loch, but Loch Ness contains no such islands.
* The plot demonstrates that Loch Ness opens directly into the sea via a wide channel between high cliffs; this would make Loch Ness a saltwater loch. In fact, Loch Ness is a freshwater loch with its surface some 80ft above sea level, and is connected to the sea (about 5 miles to the north) by the shallow River Ness, which flows through the City of Inverness. For this reason, anti-submarine nets would not have been needed on Loch Ness, as no submarines would have been able to navigate the river, even if there had been important military targets in the loch (which there weren't); the actual operation of the anti-submarine nets shown in the film owes little to reality.
* During the underwater sections the Loch has fairly clear waters. In reality the Loch has extremely murky waters, with visibility mostly being less than 5m.
The film also has some chronological inconsistencies:
* The production of the "Surgeon's Photograph" of the monster is shown as part of the plot, though this photo was originally published in 1934. In the film, the "Surgeon" is unable to catch a photo of the actual monster, and instead rigs up a fake monster for purposes of the photograph.
The Surgeon's Photo: A photograph supposedly of the Loch Ness monster taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson, a British gynecologist, on April 19, 1934 at around 7:30 AM. Because of Wilson's profession, the picture came to be known as "The Surgeon's Photo." In 1994 it was revealed that the picture actually shows a toy submarine outfitted with the head of a sea serpent.
* The Jeep driven by Capt. Hamilton would not have been available in the form shown in mid-1942.
* Angus has a toy ship which is clearly seen and is the SS United States - but this ship was not built until 1952.
* The truck that Capt. Hamilton drove had the Russian standard - but the story is supposedly taking place in Britain.
And for a fans a WILHELM SCREAM ALERT: When the Water Horse knocks over the patrol boat, one of the secondary soldiers cries out as he flies into the water.
The special effects are amazing with only one scene I thought looked a little B grade and they somehow managed to get that into the trailer. But when you have the Lord of The Rings special effects team working on the film not much can go wrong. The cinematography is also stunning and I immediately picked it as NZ with a few shots of the Loch. But this is kid's fantasy, if they can make believe with a sheet and a clothes line I am sure we can allow NZ instead of Scotland.
This is one heartmwarming film that kid's will want to watch over and over. Maybe a DVD keeper. And as Roger Moore from the Orlando Sentinel states: "Maybe the best thing about this cute pet movie is that the kids won't be able to talk you into picking one up on the way home from the theater." Out now on DVD (and Blueray) and I recommend for the entire family. Worth $14-
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.
Very similar to stories like Babe, ET, Charlotte's Web this is a must see family film that has you laughing and crying all in the same scene. As one US critic writes "'Tis a great beastie, and not a wee pig, this time around.". I found it a great spin on the Loch Ness story told so many times before to not much success. I was drawn to the film because I really love kids films, so much more fantasy and fun involved and also because of the lead Alex Etel who I fell in love with as the young kid in Millions, one of my fave films. Emma Watson, as per normal, is fabulous as is Ben Chapman (The Thin Red Line). I did find the Captain Hamilton (David Morrissey) annoying but that's his character and he did it justice.
The film does take some liberties with Scottish geography (due to the film having been shot largely in New Zealand):
* The opening shot is of Eilean Donan Castle which is on the west coast of Scotland, some 35 miles west of Loch Ness.
* A panning shot past Urquhart Castle (which is on the banks of Loch Ness) reveals some large islands in the loch, but Loch Ness contains no such islands.
* The plot demonstrates that Loch Ness opens directly into the sea via a wide channel between high cliffs; this would make Loch Ness a saltwater loch. In fact, Loch Ness is a freshwater loch with its surface some 80ft above sea level, and is connected to the sea (about 5 miles to the north) by the shallow River Ness, which flows through the City of Inverness. For this reason, anti-submarine nets would not have been needed on Loch Ness, as no submarines would have been able to navigate the river, even if there had been important military targets in the loch (which there weren't); the actual operation of the anti-submarine nets shown in the film owes little to reality.
* During the underwater sections the Loch has fairly clear waters. In reality the Loch has extremely murky waters, with visibility mostly being less than 5m.
The film also has some chronological inconsistencies:
* The production of the "Surgeon's Photograph" of the monster is shown as part of the plot, though this photo was originally published in 1934. In the film, the "Surgeon" is unable to catch a photo of the actual monster, and instead rigs up a fake monster for purposes of the photograph.
The Surgeon's Photo: A photograph supposedly of the Loch Ness monster taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson, a British gynecologist, on April 19, 1934 at around 7:30 AM. Because of Wilson's profession, the picture came to be known as "The Surgeon's Photo." In 1994 it was revealed that the picture actually shows a toy submarine outfitted with the head of a sea serpent.
* The Jeep driven by Capt. Hamilton would not have been available in the form shown in mid-1942.
* Angus has a toy ship which is clearly seen and is the SS United States - but this ship was not built until 1952.
* The truck that Capt. Hamilton drove had the Russian standard - but the story is supposedly taking place in Britain.
And for a fans a WILHELM SCREAM ALERT: When the Water Horse knocks over the patrol boat, one of the secondary soldiers cries out as he flies into the water.
The special effects are amazing with only one scene I thought looked a little B grade and they somehow managed to get that into the trailer. But when you have the Lord of The Rings special effects team working on the film not much can go wrong. The cinematography is also stunning and I immediately picked it as NZ with a few shots of the Loch. But this is kid's fantasy, if they can make believe with a sheet and a clothes line I am sure we can allow NZ instead of Scotland.
This is one heartmwarming film that kid's will want to watch over and over. Maybe a DVD keeper. And as Roger Moore from the Orlando Sentinel states: "Maybe the best thing about this cute pet movie is that the kids won't be able to talk you into picking one up on the way home from the theater." Out now on DVD (and Blueray) and I recommend for the entire family. Worth $14-
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