I don’t know about you, but I was disappointed a few years ago when the family of Ray Wallace came forward and admitted that the Bigfoot legend their patriarch created was a hoax. They showed off the feet that were carved and used to make the footprints and everything. I was just as disappointed back in 1994, when the famous “Surgeon’s Photo” of the Loch Ness Monster was finally outed as a hoax. It’s not to say that I believed in these myths, but they were fun myths to speculate about. Of course, thanks to the creativity of a great many folks, these myths are not entirely gone. When I watched “Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep”, my imagination was once again stirred as to the mysteries of Loch Ness. Based on the novel by Dick King-Smith, “Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep” introduces us to an old man (Brian Cox) who loves nothing more than to tell the tale of Loch Ness to any tourists he can capture in conversation.

He tells a story of a young boy (Alex Etel) living on the edge of the Loch during a time of war. He lives with his mother (Emily Watson) and sister (Privanka Xi), and fears that his father might not return from the war. Though missing his father terribly, life in the estate they care for is fairly trouble free… until the day the young boy finds… the egg.

It is at this point that the old man’s story begins to truly take shape as we learn that the egg contains a small creature known as the Water Horse. It is a creature so special that only one of them can inhabit the planet at any time, laying an egg as it nears the time of its passing. Of course, the boy must hide the creature from his family which becomes ever more difficult when a group of soldiers are allowed to move into the house in order to protect the Loch. Making matters worse, the creature doesn’t stay small for very long and hiding him becomes nothing short of an impossibility.

To tell you any more of the story would be a disservice to film. As it is I feel I’ve told you too much, but I deem it necessary to hopefully draw you to what is a beautifully filmed coming of age story, perfectly fit for the family. I opted to watch it with my family when the DVD came for review and to say we loved it would be an underestimation. The story is wonderful and magical causing one to suspend belief throughout, but what good fantasy tale does not? Director Jay Russell is to be commended for creating a film that is enjoyable from beginning to end. I will admit to a small amount of schmaltz here and there, but it succeeds in pulling all of the requisite heartstrings.

It is doubtless that there will be a lot of comparisons to other films like “E.T.” or even “Freewilly”, but make no mistake these should be taken as compliments. After all, here we have the story of a young boy living without a father, who befriends a creature destined to be misunderstood. The actors and their performances drive the story every bit as much as the special effects and the cinematography is simply breathtaking. And speaking of the special effects, Crusoe (as he is affectionately called by the young boy) starts of incredibly cute and lifelike but grows huge and thankfully, still lifelike. I will have to mention that though it is a great family movie, there are some scenes of peril that may be a little scary for the younger set, but not too terribly so if you are a good parent and opt to watch it with your kids.

Sony is releasing “Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep” in a 2-disc special edition, which I was personally really glad about. Movies like these are ripe for special features and this set does not disappoint. Along with a handful of deleted scenes there are several featurettes ranging from the actual myth to tons of behind the scenes video on how Crusoe was brought to life.

“Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep” is a wonderful film that firmly brings “Nessie” to life. I do wish to mention to keep your eyes out for a very quick scene that pays homage to the “Surgeon’s Photo” I mentioned earlier. It was a really nice touch that added volumes to the film for me personally.

Directed by: Jay Russell
Starring: Alex Etel, Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, David Morissey, Brian Cox
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: 4/8/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Water Horse: The Legend of the Deep a B.