THE WATER HORSE
Director: Jay Russell Stars: Alex Etel, Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Priyanka Xi, Marshall Napier, Joel Tobeck, Craig Hall, Brian Cox
Reviewed by GREG KING
Films released during the busy holiday period and aimed specifically at children or family audiences are often patronising, cliched, or too childish to please everyone. This holiday period has already seen the live action version of novelty act Alvin And The Chipmunks, which is entertaining enough, and the crushing disappointment of the big budget fantasy The Golden Compass. But the best of the lot is The Water Horse.
Based on a novel by Dick King Smith, the same guy who wrote Babe, The Water Horse, subtitled The Legend Of The Deep, is a wonderful fantasy drama about the Loch Ness monster, which should appeal to all ages. Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs (Oscar nominated writer of Chocolat, The Shipping News, etc), this is a moving homage to the wonderment of childhood and inevitable loss of innocence that doesn’t condescend to its audience or dip into unnecessary schmaltz.
The film is set on the shores of Loch Ness during World War II, where the MacMurrow family lives in a large estate, which overlooks the picturesque loch. Mrs MacMurrow (Emily Watson) struggles to keep the family farm going during the hardships imposed by the war. Young Angus (Alex Etel, from Millions, etc) has become detached and lost all sense of enjoyment while anxiously awaiting his father to return from his tour of duty. One day during a walk on the beach he uncovers a strange looking egg, which hatches an unusual and ungainly looking creature, which he christens Crusoe.
Angus finds willing accomplices in his older sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) and the handyman Lewis (Ben Chaplin), a quiet and unassuming war hero who has seen plenty of action and unnecessary death.
As Crusoe quickly outgrows trashcans and bathtubs, Angus finds it harder to keep the creature a secret from his over protective mother and a troop of gung-ho soldiers that have set up on the grounds of the mansion with the aim of defending England from enemy submarines. It’s a cushy duty designed to keep their pompous, privileged colonel (David Morrissey) safe from any real danger. Lewis and Angus put the creature in the loch, hoping to keep it safe. But inquisitive local fishermen and the battle hungry soldiers soon threaten the creature’s existence.
Director Jay Russell, who handled the pyrotechnics of Ladder 49 with assurance, again equips this special effects driven fantasy with assurance, and he handles the material with intelligence and sensitivity. There are moments of humour, courtesy of a bulldog, which chases Crusoe, and a couple of exhilarating underwater sequences. The climax is quite moving. Ultimately this tale of grief and dealing with loss will remind older audiences a little of the similarly themed E.T.
The Water Horse has been partially filmed in New Zealand, to take advantage of Peter Jackson’s WETA workshop, which has quickly established itself as one of the foremost visual and special effects studios.
The adult performers all bring plenty of credibility to their roles, which are all three dimensional and well-drawn characters. But special mention must to go young Etel, who delivers an astonishingly convincing performance, especially since he’s often reacting against a computer-generated animal. Brian Cox bookends the main action with his role as an old man in the pub relating the story to a couple of eager tourists.
We’ve seen plenty of other films dealing with the legend of the Loch Ness monster, but The Water Horse easily stands out as one of the best.
***1/2