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Emily Watson, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Priyanka Xi ... see more see more... , Marshall Napier , Joel Tobeck , Erroll Shand , Brian Cox , Craig Hall , Geraldine Brophy

A lonely young boy vows to protect the rapidly growing hatchling that emerges from a mysterious egg found on the shores of a Scottish loch in My Dog Skip and Tuck Everlasting director Jay Russell's sc... read more read more...reen adaptation of writer Dick King-Smith's popular children's novel. Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) has made a most unusual discovery, and he's about to find out just how one innocent boy's greatest fantasy can also be a frightened adult population's greatest threat. Unable to identify the egg that he found while walking the sandy shores, Angus is even more perplexed about the discovery and the creature that emerges resembles what comes to be known as a Water Horse, which Angus names Crusoe. As the bizarre new life form begins to grow at an alarming rate, it soon becomes obvious that Angus will not be able to keep it a secret for very long, and the young boy will have to do some seriously quick thinking if he is to keep his new friend safe. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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63% liked it

46,844 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

88 critics

PG, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Jay Russell

Release Date: December 25, 2007

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DVD Release Date: April 8, 2008

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Stats: 4,819 reviews

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Alex Etel and Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel as Angus MacMorrow finds a strange, oblong object in the tide pool in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Churchill, a bulldog, is chasing Crusoe near the water fountain in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Emily Watson and Ben Chaplin in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel as Young Angus returns to the workroom to find the oblong object is on the floor, broken in two and is empty inside. It appears to be a HATCHED EGG! in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel as Young Angus rows out onto the Loch looking for his friend Crusoe in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel as Young Angus in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep Alex Etel and Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel as Angus MacMorrow, Emily Watson as Anne MacMorrow, Ben Chaplin as Lewis Mowbray, Priyanka Xi as Kirstie MacMorrow and David Morrissey as Captain Hamilton run to watch Crusoe head out to sea in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007) Crusoe the sea monster in The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - (2007) Alex Etel, Priyanka Xi in The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep - (2007)
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Flixster Reviews (4,819)

  • spielberg00
    October 7, 2011
    spielberg00
    Lackluster
  • kiriyamakazou
    July 22, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    A real family that deals with friendships in a realistic fashion. The Water Horse isn't just a cute little creature. It starts off that way, with a number of comical scenes involving a baby monster. It soon turns a lot darker, where the monster is truly a wild creature and capabl... read moree of great harm. The film holds up as we wonder if the friendship between Angus and monster will hold up. A lot of the film was rather slow, as it took a while to get anywhere. We are given some repetitive scenes, such as baths for the monster, and at least 2 chases involving the monster and dog. I also wasn't a fan of the movie being told as a story. It gave off a creepy vibe from Brian Cox, like he just sits in the pub all day rambling on. The CGI creature is very consistent, and the action scenes do have some dread to them. A nice watch for families, that doesn't patronize nor embarrass.
  • skeletonking101
    January 29, 2011
    skeletonking101
    it was a wonderful film, with great story, effects, characters, and drama.
  • fb733768972
    February 4, 2010
    fb733768972
    Great kids classic that I will remember for a long time! I saw it for 2 dollars at some cheap holiday special screening, but I would have paid full price for this wonderful film!
  • ScoopOnline
    December 7, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Scottish Legends are the best ones. In a Scottish Legend you ll find everything. A love story, a Nessie, a Ghosts..etc just about everything.
    It was a sweet Movie.
  • phubbs1
    July 18, 2009
    phubbs1
    Lovely film for the younger viewer about a possible Nessie. Sure its a kind of 'Free Willy' set in Scotland with a monster instead of a killer whale, and the final sequence is basically a rather obvious rip from the final sequence in Free Willy haha but it is a decent film with a... read more good heart.
    the effects are good,especially the baby nessie,looks very lifelike....as it grows up i didnt agree with the design of the creature....looks alittle bit too babyish but it is for kids i suppose.
    great cast,great surroundings and as its set during WW1 u do get a nice old fashioned disney feel about the whole thing,like films of old,sweet.
    very nice film,worth seeing.
  • jjnxn
    June 21, 2009
    jjnxn
    Sweet fantasy with a much higher quality cast than usually found in this sort of film.
  • paulsandberg
    November 5, 2008
    paulsandberg
    I feel compelled to compare this film to Pan's Laborynth as both are fantasies, set during wartime, and coming of age stories. In the case of Pan (see my earlier review), the action was being driven by the same set piece over and over again; the evil captain and his manipulation... read mores, terrorizing the townspeople and the little girl in particular.

    The waterhorse is similar but a bit more varied in its "villian", using the glory hungry captain, but equally using the "hunter" of the troops as well as a bulldog named "Churchill".

    Both films had the "eye of the child" point of view, which adds to a sense of wonder more in Waterhorse than I felt in Pan's. Both films made excellent use of CGI, as the Waterhorse's growth seemed seemless.

    The failing of Waterhorse is that the stiff upper lip attitude of the mother didn't reveal enough of her trying to come to grips with the loss of her husband. If this had been brought more to the fore earlier, then the speach made by the handyman about giving the son a chance to be closer to his mother would have been more poignant.

    Pan's of course is the darker film, as the Captain in its tale was truly evil, whereas in Waterhorse the "evil" was more simple charactor failings; hubris, greed, envy. So for all that, while it seems the lighter of the two, it is the more intimate.

    I also enjoyed the "storytelling" aspect by Brian Cox, with that gleam in his eye, as well as the beginning scene showing a timeless town that could indeed be any age, except for the modern car that then drives down the cobblestoned street. This scene is repeated at the end of the film as another generation of Waterhorse is set to begin; but as the old saw says, "that's a tale for another time".
  • dreamfaeries
    August 6, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    Breathtakingly beautiful.
  • ajaymuthecooldevils
    August 4, 2008
    ajaymuthecooldevils
    Just some story about some tale about a water horse in Loch Ness, Scotland... The movie itself was good by keeping the cast from the British side, they didn't have an American man because it will kill the movie... The effects for Crusoe, the water horse, was great... It was looks... read more like really live in this world... And it's not a bad story at all for kids, but they need a parenting guide from their parents of course for some scenes...

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Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper
January 7, 2008
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

[A] disappointing mixed bag.

Ann Hornaday
December 26, 2007
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

A rich, mostly tender fairy tale. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
December 26, 2007
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

A tepid, CGI-enhanced family movie that should delight 6-year-olds with a lap full of popcorn. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
December 26, 2007
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

The film is a triumph of empathy. Full Review

Roger Moore
December 26, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Maybe the best thing about this cute pet movie is that the kids won't be able to talk you into picking one up on the way home from the theater. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
December 26, 2007
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

It's a little corny and somewhat overlong, but a sweet sensibility and stirring adventure scenes make The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep a welcome gift for anyone looking to keep kids entertained ove... Full Review

Colin Covert
December 26, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film is what family entertainment ought to be, but so rarely is: a ripping good adventure, a parable about childhood and maturity, and a romp. Full Review

Ty Burr
December 26, 2007
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The Water Horse moves along at a dutiful clip, engaging us without transporting us. Full Review

Laura Kern
December 26, 2007
Laura Kern, New York Times

Many lonely children yearn for a pet to call their own. In The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep based on a novel by Dick King-Smith, a boy finds not only that, but a best friend as well.

Claudia Puig
December 26, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Parents, forget about those warbling mischievous chipmunks. If you want to take the kids on a delightful animal adventure that you will enjoy as much as they do, go see The Water Horse. Full Review

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    • Anne MacMorrow: Jings, Crusoe. You're as big as a prize pig.
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