If you've seen
E.T.,
The Iron Giant, and the countless other "Boy and his Creature" movies that have been made over the years, then there's no reason for you to see
The Water Horse - a well intentioned, but ultimately bland and derivative film that never quite sparks the feelings of magic and wonder that it wants to. It certainly tries, though. The cast is strong, it's well-shot, and the special effects used to bring the creature to life are convincing. It's just missing that certain something that made those previously mentioned films classics. It's too content to play by the rules and copy past successful formulas, instead of finding ways to stand out on its own.
The main story is told in flashback, and set in Scotland during the height of World War II. A 10-year-old boy named Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel from the criminally underseen and far superior family film,
Millions) visits the beach everyday, mainly to think of his father who has gone off to fight in the war. One particular day, he finds what he thinks is a large rock, only when he takes it back to his home, he discovers it is an egg. A tiny sea creature hatches from the egg, and before long, Angus and his older sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) are trying to keep the little monster out of sight from their mother (Emily Watson). This proves difficult, as the creature is naturally curious, frequently wanders off on its own, and Angus' house is currently swarming with military soldiers, who are using the home as somewhat of a base of operations. The only other person who knows of the creature's existance is the family's handyman, Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), who identifies it as a Water Horse - a sort of mythical water spirit. When the Water Horse grows too large for the children to keep it a secret in the house, Angus is forced to make a difficult situation to let it loose into the open water. Soon after, sightings of a giant monster swimming about in the waters of Loch Ness sweep the town and the media into a frenzy. With the local military and other hunters trying to track down this "Loch Ness Monster", Angus sets out to rescue his friend before any harm can come to it.
The Water Horse is a movie that spends way too much time in familiar territory, and not enough time giving us a reason as to why we should be listening to the same story once more. The direction by Jay Russell (
Ladder 49) and the screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs (
Flushed Away) meanders along, hitting all the expected notes, but without the expected or needed energy. The creature is cute and all, but its antics are all too predictable, and it never bonds with young Angus in such a way that we never feel our hearts being tugged when the two friends are forced to be apart. The human characters come across as hollow shells that have not been developed to their fullest. Most of all, the movie never really explains why we're supposed to be watching it in the first place, and never seems to try to speak to a certain audience. Kids will like the scenes where the creature gets in trouble around the house, but these moments are few and far between. The film's pace is far too leisurely and lethargic for them to get involved, if the fidgeting children at my screening are any indication. Likewise, the movie is too simple and juvenile to truly appeal to adults. They'll enjoy the exotic Scottish scenery and the above average production values, but there's very little to capture the imagination here.
There are a few moments where the film seems to be close to coming alive, but these highlights are rare and often cut short. The only time the movie comes close to capturing that all-important element of magic is an extended sequence where Angus rides on the back of the Water Horse, who takes him on a journey through the sea. My spirits lifted during this scene, thinking the movie was finally going to pick up, but as soon as the creature drops the boy off at a nearby pier, all the life and energy of the earlier scene seems to flee from the film. The cast is filled with capable actors, but they have all been stuck with shallow characters who mainly stand around, waiting for the screenplay to give them something to do. Even the lead character, Angus, seems to be curiously lacking in personality and dialogue. When the movie reaches its climax (which seems to be somewhat of a bizarre combination of
E.T. and
Free Willy), it's hard to actually feel anything for the characters involved, since we know so little about them.
Obviously, there are much worse films your children could drag you to see, but
The Water Horse just isn't even memorable in the slightest. These kind of films are the hardest for me to review, as they invoke no feelings or real genuine opinions. They're just there on the screen, and when I walk out of the theater, I find myself at a loss to describe what I felt. This is that strange kind of film that does nothing wrong without exactly doing anything right either. It simply exists to make some quick cash over the holidays before it will be ultimately forgotten before too long.
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If you've seen E.T., The Iron Giant, and the countless other "Boy and his Creature" movies that have been made over the years, then there's no reason for you to see The Water Horse - a well intentioned, but ultimately bland and derivative film that never quite sparks the feelings of magic and wonder that it wants to. It certainly tries, though. The cast is strong, it's well-shot, and the special effects used to bring the creature to life are convincing. It's just missing that certain something that made those previously mentioned films classics. It's too content to play by the rules and copy past successful formulas, instead of finding ways to stand out on its own.
The main story is told in flashback, and set in Scotland during the height of World War II. A 10-year-old boy named Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel from the criminally underseen and far superior family film, Millions) visits the beach everyday, mainly to think of his father who has gone off to fight in the war. One particular day, he finds what he thinks is a large rock, only when he takes it back to his home, he discovers it is an egg. A tiny sea creature hatches from the egg, and before long, Angus and his older sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) are trying to keep the little monster out of sight from their mother (Emily Watson). This proves difficult, as the creature is naturally curious, frequently wanders off on its own, and Angus' house is currently swarming with military soldiers, who are using the home as somewhat of a base of operations. The only other person who knows of the creature's existance is the family's handyman, Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), who identifies it as a Water Horse - a sort of mythical water spirit. When the Water Horse grows too large for the children to keep it a secret in the house, Angus is forced to make a difficult situation to let it loose into the open water. Soon after, sightings of a giant monster swimming about in the waters of Loch Ness sweep the town and the media into a frenzy. With the local military and other hunters trying to track down this "Loch Ness Monster", Angus sets out to rescue his friend before any harm can come to it.
The Water Horse is a movie that spends way too much time in familiar territory, and not enough time giving us a reason as to why we should be listening to the same story once more. The direction by Jay Russell (Ladder 49) and the screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs (Flushed Away) meanders along, hitting all the expected notes, but without the expected or needed energy. The creature is cute and all, but its antics are all too predictable, and it never bonds with young Angus in such a way that we never feel our hearts being tugged when the two friends are forced to be apart. The human characters come across as hollow shells that have not been developed to their fullest. Most of all, the movie never really explains why we're supposed to be watching it in the first place, and never seems to try to speak to a certain audience. Kids will like the scenes where the creature gets in trouble around the house, but these moments are few and far between. The film's pace is far too leisurely and lethargic for them to get involved, if the fidgeting children at my screening are any indication. Likewise, the movie is too simple and juvenile to truly appeal to adults. They'll enjoy the exotic Scottish scenery and the above average production values, but there's very little to capture the imagination here.
There are a few moments where the film seems to be close to coming alive, but these highlights are rare and often cut short. The only time the movie comes close to capturing that all-important element of magic is an extended sequence where Angus rides on the back of the Water Horse, who takes him on a journey through the sea. My spirits lifted during this scene, thinking the movie was finally going to pick up, but as soon as the creature drops the boy off at a nearby pier, all the life and energy of the earlier scene seems to flee from the film. The cast is filled with capable actors, but they have all been stuck with shallow characters who mainly stand around, waiting for the screenplay to give them something to do. Even the lead character, Angus, seems to be curiously lacking in personality and dialogue. When the movie reaches its climax (which seems to be somewhat of a bizarre combination of E.T. and Free Willy), it's hard to actually feel anything for the characters involved, since we know so little about them.
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