| 90 |
LA Weekly
Personally, I wouldn’t take a toddler (unless he was the son of Tarantino) to this intermittently, legitimately terrifying tale of a boy and his Loch Ness monster. But everyone else should blow off "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and show up for the best kiddie picture of the season -- and, along with "Ratatouille," of the year.
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| 88 |
USA Today
Well-told fanciful tales aimed at children but appreciated by adults are a rarity, and The Water Horse should be savored for the exuberantly entertaining ride it offers.
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| 88 |
Chicago Sun-Times
Like most British family films, Water Horse doesn't dumb down its young characters or insult the intelligence of the audience. It has a lot of sly humor about what we know, or have heard, about the Loch Ness monster.
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| 80 |
Washington Post
Combining the best of fantasy and somber reflection, The Water Horse is a lovely ride.
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| 80 |
The New York Times
Ffamily-friendly escapist fare that should enthrall, without insult, fantasy-minded viewers of any age.
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| 80 |
Los Angeles Times
An enchanting tale of friendship and evolvingrelationships, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" engagingly grafts coming-of-age movie chestnuts onto Scottish folklore.
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| 80 |
Wall Street Journal
It declines to take itself seriously, yet manages, sometimes simultaneously, to be exciting, instructive, cheerfully absurd and genuinely affecting.
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| 80 |
The Hollywood Reporter
Stephen Farber
While it boasts a lower profile than many other Christmas releases, it might catch on with parents who want to take their kids to a movie that the entire family will actually enjoy. Nifty special effects and a first-rate British cast elevate this production.
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| 80 |
Variety
Though it strikes some predictable coming-of-age notes, this moving, well-wrought adventure should appeal to fans of "E.T." and Carroll Ballard.
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| 75 |
ReelViews
Consider it "Free Willy" with the Loch Ness Monster. It's that kind of family-friendly movie - one that focuses on the friendship between a lonely boy and an animal.
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| 75 |
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
It's adapted with charming dispatch from the Dick King-Smith story, and served up by the same CGI wizards who animated the critters in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Narnia Chronicles."
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| 75 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Few kid films manage to assemble this much ambition alongside this much sincere, sweet emotion.
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| 75 |
TV Guide
The period detail is evocative, Watson and Etel are particularly good, and baby Crusoe -- a computer-generated image seamlessly woven into the live action -- is a slippery little star in his own right.
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| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Steve Winn
A solidly made wish-fulfillment fantasy set during World War II.
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| 70 |
Chicago Reader
Like many fairy tales, this handsome family film concerns a child coming to terms with his fears and the death of a parent.
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| 67 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Predictable but entertaining kid movie.
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| 67 |
Austin Chronicle
A family film in the best sense.
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| 63 |
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 over the holidays.
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| 63 |
Chicago Tribune
Jessica Reaves
First, a few things The Water Horse is not: revolutionary, controversial or challenging. What it is: a sweet, familiar story, beautifully filmed and lovingly told.
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| 63 |
Boston Globe
If you want to take the kids to a cockle-warming tale of humans and computer-generated critters, do yourself a favor: Skip the singing rodents and head for the baby Loch Ness Monster in The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.
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| 63 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
Emily Watson, looking at home in her '40s frocks, plays Angus' mother - coping not only with her son's obsession with what she believes to be an imaginary friend, but also with her own worry and grief about her husband at war.
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| 60 |
Empire
Likeable stuff despite being slow paced and rather sentimental.
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| 50 |
New York Post
Adults will sniff out a general air of phoniness - the period detail isn't particularly convincing, and the Scottish factor is overcooked to the point where the script starts to resemble the national cuisine.
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| 42 |
Entertainment Weekly
Karen Valby
Parents can trust that none of their wee ones will ask for a stuffed water horse for Christmas. The star of this Scottish fable, about the mythical Loch Ness monster, looks like a raw chicken breast with teeth when he hatches.
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