Meu Monstro de Estimação

I saw this film this afternoon with my partner. I agree with other posters that the opening modern day scene in the pub, setting up the narrator, felt forced and false. Otherwise, what a wonderful film this was! It's a real "coming of age" story of an introverted young boy, missing his dad (off to war) terribly, and the events that help him come out of his shell and begin to interact with others. The CGI water horse was totally convincing, from newborn baby just out of the egg to full-blown adulthood. It really had a personality. The actors were convincing in their roles, too. My partner and I were brought almost to tears, in a good way, by some scenes. The ending, which I will not reveal, brought the tale full circle beautifully. If not for the jarring narrator scenes, I would have rated this film higher than I did.

When I picked this movie up I thought it was just going to be exactly like all these new children's movies coming out where they focus on stupid stuff like overrated sarcasm and farting, but it was actually a good little film. This movie was entertaining and I thought that there was some stuff that could be changed about it, but I still cut some slack to all kid's movies, because they are meant for kids and they sometimes make stuff in the movie unbelievable. Anyway, this is a nice kid's film and from my point of view, when I got through watching it I thought of it more as something an adult could be entertained by rather than a kid, because there were some parts where it would have gotten boring to the kid watching or even kind of scary the kid watching! So, I think this is one of the best new kid's films that has been released so far and I think you should see it for yourself if you don't believe me because it's harmless, charming fun.

Heartwarming family entertainment. This movie has the feel of "ET" and "Dear Frankie" another great Scottish film. The setting is near Loch Ness in Scotland during World War II. The landscape of Scotland is a beautiful backdrop for the movie and the character of Angus just finds his way into your heart. There is laughter as well as many touching scenes. Of course, there is the anti-hero, there always is. And the war in Europe is also a "character" in the film as it affects people's lives. The theater where I saw the movie had many children in attendance and they all seemed to love this movie. And there is enough in the story to keep the adults involved also.

There are some movies which make you smile and cry at the same time(I didn't cry). This movie is that sort of movie.

The movie starts with an old man telling the old legend of Water Horse to a couple. The story relates to a boy, who lives with his mother and sister. The military just takes over their house during the war time, and the family is forced to live with them. This boy finds a small shining stone and brings it to his house and in the morning after the stone was brought, the stone is not there, instead there are pieces of it, and there in that room a small creature is present. This is the Water Horse. The child takes care of it without raising the suspicions of his mother, but the creature grows so huge in so small time that he is forced to drop it back in the ocean.

The relationship between the creature and boy is shown well in the movie, covering all the emotional angles with panache. The direction is consistent. Although it may not blow your mind with excitement, it is a calm movie which makes one think of the nature of man. I would recommend it.

There has been an overloaded release of fantasy films since the success of the 'Harry Potter' and 'Lord of the Rings' series. While some manage to gain some recognition, others vanish without a trace. 'The Water Horse' is an amusing fantasy-like film for the whole family. It does fall on the lines of Guillermo Del Toro's 'El Laberinto De Fauno' but much less violence. Set in Ireland during the Second World War it tells the story of a bonding between a boy and a water horse. The story isn't anything new but that doesn't stop the film from being charming and likable because it has heart. The use of the mesmerizing landscape is both refreshing and breathtaking. The cinematography is good. Director Russell does a fine job by mingling the subplots well enough with the main story. The music is great but the use of it is arguably a bit clichéd. The CGI is not of the highest quality but Crusoe is lively enough to compensate. Young Alex Etel is brilliant as Angus and Brian Cox does well as the older Angus. Emily Watson is fabulous. Ben Chaplin and David Morissey are wonderful too. To sum it up further, 'The Water Horse' is a nice enough movie that both children and adults can enjoy.