Reviewed by Cassam Looch
Stars Alex Etel, David Morrissey, Brian Cox, Ben Chaplin, Emily Watson,
Bruce Allpress, Eddie Campbell, Craig Hall, Lorraine McDonald | Written by Robert Nelson Jacobs
UK certification PG | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 107 minutes | Directed by Jay Russell
Although never hitting the heights that one would expect, this child-friendly movie nonetheless manages to entertain and engage thanks to great performances and an atmospheric setting. In fact, it has a level of sophistication that might alienate its target audience, instead garnering appreciative nods from parents and guardians.
This is not the overly commercial money-making franchise that we’ve seen from other studios, but it's still a welcome change. A lonely boy growing up in Second World War Scotland is struggling to cope with his father’s absence. His mother (Watson) struggles to get by and, when an army squadron sets up camp in the grounds of the large house she is looking after, things get worse. Angus, the young boy, then finds a mysterious creature and brings it back home concealing it from everyone. When a local handyman (Chaplin) discovers his secret he tells Angus that it is the mythical Water Horse and they must return it to the Loch. However the Army Captain begins to suspect something is going on, and sets about exposing the secret. The Water Horse is sweet and boasts a heavyweight cast, all of whom rely on the youngest cast member to turn in a great performance… which thankfully he does. Angus is suitably dour for most of the film (dare I say suitably Scottish) and his story works on many levels. An enjoyable and worthy kids' flick, which will annoy the Loch Ness purists as a story of reinvention, but does the job for everyone else.
EXTRAS ** Deleted scenes, plus a few featurettes: Myths and Legends; The Story; The Characters; Setting the Scene; Creating the Water Horse; Creating Crusoe.