My Movie Review on The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (Plus, a Bonus) · 1:15am Nov 10th, 2021
Top of the morning to ya, my good lads and lasses.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the 1st installment of this year's "Thanksgiving Treat", I'm gonna give you guys my take of "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep".
Here's the rundown of this tale:
During World War II, a young boy in Scotland named Angus MacMorrow discovers an unusual egg while exploring the shoreline of Loch Ness. Curious, he takes it back with him to his home at the manor of Lord Killin, where he lives with his older sister, Kirstie MacMorrow, and his widowed mother, Anne MacMorrow (who is the manor's head housekeeper).
However, Angus soon discovers that what he brought home wasn't the egg of an ordinary animal...but of a mythical creature known by Celtic legend as a Water Horse! A sea monster with a vast appetite, a love for swimming, and a rapid growth rate.
Because the baby has no birth-parent, Angus decides to care for him in secret and keep him as a pet, even going so far as to give him a name: Crusoe. Ensuring Crusoe's safety won't be an easy task, though, particularly due to his home crawling with Royal Air Force troops that were stationed to be on the lookout for German submarines.
In all honesty, I was originally going to review this movie as part of my "Spook Spectacular" since it was a take on the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. However, time snuck up on me so fast that I couldn't review it before October ended, so I ultimately moved it to my "Thanksgiving Treat" series.
And I really can't lie, "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" is an absolute favorite of me and the rest of my family. We saw the movie back when it was in theaters, and once it came out on DVD we added it to our film collection so that we could watch it whenever we wanted. The film as a whole also deepened my interest in the Loch Ness Monster, because before I saw the film I didn't know that there was an actual legend about the creature.
Coming from a guy who saw the film again last month, I really must say that "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" was as amazing as I remembered it being.
For instance, the direction by Jay Russell, and the screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs, were fabulous!
Even though a story about a boy forming a bond with a real-life or fictional creature isn't an uncommon concept, it works perfectly for this film because it provided a creative spin on the origins of the Loch Ness Monster and its legend; it also managed to hold its own, proving itself to be something more than what people would likely expect it to be. Jay Russell did an amazing job directing this movie, and the fact that he was clearly very passionate about working on it helped this movie be all-the-more enjoyable to watch. Plus, the film had heart and emotion that was deeply soul-tugging, the dramatic side of it all was well-worked, and the comedy was not only hilarious but carried an innocent quality that made the humor instantly entertaining. Plus, the movie had wonderful morals about friendship and love.
Something that I'd also like to note is that the movie does have its historical inaccuracies, most notably that the legend of the Loch Ness Monster actually started in 1933 instead of during World War II. But, it hardly matters because the film is still fun in its own way and works perfectly as a fictional product.
The special effects were spectacular, if I may add.
Russell definitely made the right call to wait until there was a greater advancement in technology to make this movie, because if he hadn't...well, this movie wouldn't have been one of the most visually-impressive movies I ever watched! Especially for one that was made on a 40 million dollar budget.
Whenever I saw Crusoe on the screen, I noted that he hardly looked like he was created by computers. Whether he was walking on land like a seal or gracefully swimming underwater like a porpoise, it literally looked like there was a real sea monster in the movie! Crusoe's interactions with the human characters were likewise not only convincing but added onto the sense of an actual creature being there, and the way the effects team modeled Crusoe's facial features after various creatures while still making sure he was emotive helped the character all-the-more feel like an actual animal.
Likewise, the scenes taking place underwater were an amazing sight to behold. Whether those parts were done by a green screen or something, I don't know. But, each time there was a scene featuring Crusoe or both him and Angus underwater, it literally looked like there were no special effects involved in making them!
The acting, characters, and character development were awesome as well.
Along with how realistic Crusoe looked thanks to the efforts of the effects team, Crusoe himself had loads of personality and development to be a fully-realized character. He was also extremely lovable, and whenever his life was at risk I hoped that he'd make it out of harm's way.
In addition to this, the human characters and the people playing them were deeply engaging and memorable in the best way. Despite the performers not being anyone I've seen in other movies, they all fit their parts like a glove! They played their characters like they were born to take on portraying them, and it looked like they were not only giving their all but were having all the fun in the world. The human characters as a whole weren't without personality, complexity, depth, and development.
As an honorable mention, I'd like to say that Alex Etel was phenomenal in the role of Angus MacMorrow, and the interactions his character had with Crusoe were what enhanced the sea monster's sense of realism the most. Angus himself had dynamic development throughout the film, and he was both very lovable and relatable.
Finally, the music by James Newton Howard was magnificent.
With this movie being the third I recently reviewed where Howard was the composer, it's hard to deny that I was immediately entranced by his score. It sounded like he was as inspired and passionate for this project as Jay Russell was, and every melody I heard had an astounding sense of personality and emotion. The way his music reflected the time period and setting were likewise wonderful; and whether there was either a humorous or heartfelt moment, the music would hit all of the right notes.
In conclusion, "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" is truly a masterpiece to behold, and perhaps one of the most overlooked films of the 21st century. As an adaption of the book of the same name by Dick King-Smith, I have a feeling the author would be incredibly proud of this movie.
So, I rate "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" a solid five out of five stars.
As a bonus for you guys, I'm gonna show you all a new painting I worked on from June 24, 2021 to November 2, 2021.
I know that I already worked on a fox painting just like this one, but...the other one was also the very first painting that I did, and as the years went by I started to notice the many flaws it carried and the mistakes I made regarding that one. So, I decided to start all over with a new copy and do a better job with it.
So, I did just that.
So, what do you guys think? Of this review? And this painting?
I remember this movie. This is my childhood
As one who has seen the film, love it, and owning a DVD copy of it, I hereby give it 5 out of 5 stars too!
I haven't seen this movie, and I wish I would.
Hey, I remember this movie! It’s been so long since I’ve seen it though, so I don’t remember much from it.
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Would you be interested in rewatching this film someday? And making a review of it?
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I might.