User reviews

Our family (2 kids in high school) went to this film Christmas night. It was a perfect wrap up to a glorious family day. The story line was told by the camera as a story should be told; with reflective moments, beautiful long scenic shots and great close-ups on some of the best character faces one can find in a pub. All of the time taken for this was appreciated by our family. The CGI was beautifully woven into the film so that it did not take away from it, but rather created the water horse to fit beautifully with the surrounding images. He/she was charming and we all root for the dream that there is a Nessie! Mum (Grammy) is British and flew Spitfires in WWII. She told of regiments taking over estates and the events in this movie matches her stories. Two small critical comments: The male/female travelers who open and close the film were far too forced and it felt like they were given the roles as friends of a director/producer? It's too bad because the opening and closing of the film felt awkward and unconnected with the rest of the charming story. There is a sequence of footage of the young lad working that repeated itself that felt like it was just looking for extra shots and couldn't find them. Having done that as an amateur, I was surprised when the pros did this! Enjoy this film. Thank-you to all who worked on it!

I personally would have liked The Water Horse to have been longer, but as a family movie it really delighted and charmed me. The story is very creative and helped by a very believable relationship between the boy and the monster and a poignant ending, and the script never feels mawkish or over-simplistic. The direction is consistent and there is some very believable acting, not just from Alex Etel but from Emily Watson, Brian Cox and especially David Morrisey as well. Visually, The Water Horse is dazzling. The effects on the monster are excellent while the scenery and cinematography are gorgeous, and I equally loved the efficient pace and lovely soundtrack. Overall, visually dazzling and delightful. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Just re watched this film with parents on Blu Ray with surround sound connected. I have to say even at 19 years of age i love this film so much.

Very entertaining for all the family with some characters which you become attached too and go on the emotional journey with them. The special effects in this movie are also stunning with the occasional blip here and there but this does not create a hindrance to your viewing pleasure.

If you are looking for a film to watch with family and friends one night make sure you check this out, this film delivers a good package for every audience member with the addition of comedy and action which is featured in various parts of the film.

I'm usually critical of children's' films, but this one is quality through and through. It was filmed in New Zealand, (Which looks a lot like Scotland). The production was brilliant. The challenge for the crew was to create the feeling that the New Zealand fjord was a Scottish Loch, and they did a first class job with it. The cast was excellent. Alex Etel,the child lead, was very competent and shows a great deal of maturity in a difficult task. Apparently he did all his own swimming and stunts, so he must be a tough little actor. I hope we'll be seeing a lot of him in future films, The script was well paced and finely crafted. It balanced the emotional content with realism and humour. It's not easy to do. It avoided sentimentality and slap-stick comedy. (The dog was brilliant). If we want to fill seats in cinemas, we must educate our children to appreciate fine films. This is an excellent piece. It will become a children's' classic. Well done!

Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a much better film than I expected it to be. This movie is great for the entire family to watch together. There is no cursing and very little action. This movie has a central theme that is great for the family. The theme is about friendship and bonding with others.

This film is about a young kid during the World War 2 era who finds a unusual egg in the famous loch lake in Scotland. It turns out that the egg ends up being a mystical water horse and the young kid begins a friendship that will change his life forever.

The acting is solid for the most part. Alex Etel who plays Angus did a decent job but sometimes got on my nerves. The rest of the cast including Emily Watson and David Morressy did a good job.

Overall, this is a great, magical film the whole family will enjoy. The special effects, music, and direction are standouts of this film. I rate this film 9/10.

I love this! the scenery is so beautiful...who cares if the plot is predictable. its a cute story

The story of this film is clearly inspired by the legends surrounding the "Loch Ness Monster", a creature that supposedly inhabits Scotland's deepest and most famous lake. The script is based on the deep relationship between the creature, a "water horse", and a young boy who had few friends, fear of water and an unresolved mourning after his father died in a shipwreck, probably provoked by a German submarine (everything happens during World War II). It does not matter if you believe in the existence of this creature or not, the fact is that the film works well as a family movie, creating a moving story and managing to form a strong bond of empathy between the audience and the characters, especially the boy, his mother and the little monster, who is a perfectly lovely creature. Everything was thought to create empathy with the audience, to involve our emotional side, and this works wonderfully well. A curious point is that the great villains are the British soldiers, with a deeply harsh and somewhat imperialistic pose, which may possibly be a subliminal criticism of the relationship between the English and the Scots.

Alex Etel did a good performance in the role of little Angus and Brian Cox also performed very well with the task of playing the character these days. Ben Chaplin made a very good character who made an excellent counterpoint to the villain, the British official played by David Morrissey. Emily Watson also pleased me, playing a careful, stiff but loving mother who has recently widowed and still misses her husband. However, it's the monster that enchants and deserves greatest attention. Of course, it's great quality CGI. The cinematography is excellent and the Scottish landscapes enchanted me, with large green hills and picturesque villages. The soundtrack is very good and plays its part wonderfully, but is quickly forgotten after the movie ends.

Overall this is a great movie for an afternoon with the whole family and it has everything for everyone, but it will be especially appealing to the younger ones of course. I recommend!

Well-told fanciful tales aimed at children but appreciated by adults are a rarity, and The Water Horse should be savored for the exuberantly entertaining ride it offers. Super cool story tale of a boy and his Loch Ness monster. But everyone else should blow off "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and show up for the best kiddie picture of the season -- and, along with "Ratatouille," of the year. Nifty special effects and a first-rate British cast elevate this production. It declines to take itself seriously, yet manages, sometimes simultaneously, to be exciting, instructive, cheerfully absurd and genuinely affecting.