This is the type of story that, in the pre-CGI days, would have made a classic animated film. The naturalistic acting and seamless effects leave, perhaps, too little to the imagination. The story is a bit thin and the action sequences a bit too padded, but what's here is excellently done, Fans of this should absolutely seek out Brad Bird's The Iron Giant, a very similar story and a superior film.… Expand

I saw The Last Mimzy and The Water Horse on two consecutive nights, and now I have forgotten many elements of the former simply through watching the latter. The Water Horse has a few inconsistencies, but overall is the better of the two films. It is not as aimless, nor does it have the presumptive air of the former, either. The CGI is practically flawless. It works, however, in making Crusoe the Water Horse as real as possible: as we watch, we see Crusoe growing from the size of a box turtle (which it resembles early in its development) to that of a true king of the deep, the Loch Ness "monster." Having been fortunate enough to have traveled to Inverness, Scotland and visiting the Loch itself, I was delighted to see some of the places nearby, including Uruquhart Castle (the ruins on the south side of the Loch). Seeing the Loch itself gives one pause to wonder if a creature could exist, and in one of my own personal slides I have a shot with a black rock on it that I always tell people is one of the humps on the real monster. Regardless if one believes the "monster" is real or not, there is something in the air which makes one feel as though there are infinite possibilities no matter how much we think otherwise.… Expand

It is truly the best film of its kind since E.T.

a wonderfully entertaining movie about a creature most of us have heared of at 1 time or another

Rather than truncate calendar time to allow Crusoe to reach adult-size more organically, the "water horse" achieves prolific weight gains as a result of his food intake. Since the monster is terrestrial-based, its wondorous metabolism and body expansion plays like a contrivance to keep "The Water Horse: Legends of the Deep" under two hours. Nevertheless, this handsomely mounted rite-of-passage story, which grounds its fantastical elements within a realistic setting(like Gullimero Del Toro's "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth"), smartly takes the time to not only consider the boy's grief(over losing a father), but also his mother's. Anne(Emily Watson) is given a reason to be pretty again. She has a choice of suitors. "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" is wiser than most children's films, because it knows that a mother's rehabilitated heart will help her son(Alex Etel) in the long run more than a purring water horse. Crusoe, by the way, is a triumph of CGI. The water horse is cute as a button in the early scenes, and likewise, menacing and genuinely dangerous when the "monster" feels threatened. In other words, the creature is absolutely convincing as a living entity. Like E.T.(and Godzilla), Crusoe has no visible male genitalia, and the screenwriter acknowledges this when Angus wonders aloud, "If you are a boy?" If his sister found the water horse, she'd assume it's a girl. The Scottish landscape is properly Scottish; wild and green. "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" is an uncommonly rich children's movie, almost on par with John Sayles' "The Secret of Roan Inish".… Expand

This movie scared my 5 year old and I hated everything about it. The plot was predictable and hokey. There were completely inappropriate and incongruous story lines about adult relationships. The expected bonding and mutually nurturing relationship between child and beast is completely undermined when beasty tries to EAT the little boy! The beast changes its mind for unclear reasons, so instead of teaching that relationships are beautiful and worht trusting, the lesson is something akin to "stuff happens". I understand the need to suspend belief with this type of movie, but the ending action sequence was just plain stupid. They then left it wide open for a sequel in the most blatant way possible, one that I will certainly miss. My nine year old thought it was fair, so I'll give it a generous 2.… Expand

What a sweet and special movie. Finely acted, very professionally done. An exceptional family film, all ages will enjoy it. Good special effects.

A family film that is destined to become a classic!

An excellent children's film done with taste and quality as only the British can do. There's no bathroom jokes, no crude sexual references or senseless slapstick. Instead, we get a wonderful story about loss and friendship overlayed with fantasy and whimsy. This film is definitely four stars in my book

Predictable. This movie uses the same, boy without a father finds a friend and a father and a lover for his mom, but without being all that interesting. It may seem a little trite to call a children's movie predictable, but at least Ratatouille and Stardust kept me entertained. This movie just drags on and I saw it the first time when it was Free Willy.

An extremely wonderful family film. Wonderfully touching story about a heart sick boy who is learning to go on without his father with the help of an unusual friend.

Truly a family film that all will enjoy. While most films directed toward a younger audience often lead an accompanying parent to catnap, this film was a delight to watch with my sons.

not my favorite, but it has the source material and the actors were supportive.