Le Dragon des mers : La Dernière Légende

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie since the "Loch Ness" subject matter is kind of an overused topic. The fact that people said it was "family friendly" was also a strong turn-off: kiddie characters, themes ... 'nuf said.

However, I'm glad I saw this movie! It had a good, interesting story and great characters. The special effects were pretty good too. Even though the lead character is a young kid, it was OK since all of the characters and story were realistic and serious - and not depicted from a kid's point of view.

The story is framed around a modern-day pub where an old-timer is telling a couple young hikers/travelers the story of a picture on the wall. The bulk of the story takes place during WWII at Loch Ness and centers around a little boy that discovers and takes home a large egg.

I'll pretty much confirm what other's have said. Yes - it's fit for viewing by all members of the family, but don't let that stereotype trap you into thinking it's only for kids. If you're in the mood for something light, this is a good movie and worth checking out.

There has been an overloaded release of fantasy films since the success of the 'Harry Potter' and 'Lord of the Rings' series. While some manage to gain some recognition, others vanish without a trace. 'The Water Horse' is an amusing fantasy-like film for the whole family. It does fall on the lines of Guillermo Del Toro's 'El Laberinto De Fauno' but much less violence. Set in Ireland during the Second World War it tells the story of a bonding between a boy and a water horse. The story isn't anything new but that doesn't stop the film from being charming and likable because it has heart. The use of the mesmerizing landscape is both refreshing and breathtaking. The cinematography is good. Director Russell does a fine job by mingling the subplots well enough with the main story. The music is great but the use of it is arguably a bit clichéd. The CGI is not of the highest quality but Crusoe is lively enough to compensate. Young Alex Etel is brilliant as Angus and Brian Cox does well as the older Angus. Emily Watson is fabulous. Ben Chaplin and David Morissey are wonderful too. To sum it up further, 'The Water Horse' is a nice enough movie that both children and adults can enjoy.

There are some movies which make you smile and cry at the same time(I didn't cry). This movie is that sort of movie.

The movie starts with an old man telling the old legend of Water Horse to a couple. The story relates to a boy, who lives with his mother and sister. The military just takes over their house during the war time, and the family is forced to live with them. This boy finds a small shining stone and brings it to his house and in the morning after the stone was brought, the stone is not there, instead there are pieces of it, and there in that room a small creature is present. This is the Water Horse. The child takes care of it without raising the suspicions of his mother, but the creature grows so huge in so small time that he is forced to drop it back in the ocean.

The relationship between the creature and boy is shown well in the movie, covering all the emotional angles with panache. The direction is consistent. Although it may not blow your mind with excitement, it is a calm movie which makes one think of the nature of man. I would recommend it.

Heartwarming family entertainment. This movie has the feel of "ET" and "Dear Frankie" another great Scottish film. The setting is near Loch Ness in Scotland during World War II. The landscape of Scotland is a beautiful backdrop for the movie and the character of Angus just finds his way into your heart. There is laughter as well as many touching scenes. Of course, there is the anti-hero, there always is. And the war in Europe is also a "character" in the film as it affects people's lives. The theater where I saw the movie had many children in attendance and they all seemed to love this movie. And there is enough in the story to keep the adults involved also.

CGI—of course: You can't depict the Loch Ness monster with just the putative photo of the famous myth. But after you accept the clever graphics, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is just plain ol' good story telling, fit for pre-adolescent kids and their young-at-heart parents.

Narrator Brian Cox (his character is not identified) tells of WWII era in Scotland at the famous loch, where young Angus MacMorrow finds an egg at the shore and nurtures the lovable monster until he has to go to the loch to survive. The Scottish regiment occupying the home and the new handyman, Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), complicate life and endanger the elusive monster. Although the usual clueless mom (Emily Watson) and dangerous thugs are here to further the horror genre staples, the challenges Angus faces are instructive about the collision of reality and fantasy for an adolescent.

WWII looms large, a fitting embodiment of the challenges the unknown and potentially dangerous can be to the stability of the world. The fantasy world, centered on the monster, who becomes his best friend, collides with the reality of people who want to destroy the monster and the boy's imaginative life.

Mix in all this with the father who has been away to war, never to return, and you have a child's romance with the right balance of love and hate, certainty and uncertainty, illusion and reality. It's all much less sophisticated than Shrek, and more like Whale Rider, also filmed in New Zealand. In the latter, a girl rides a whale as an embodiment of the country's hope; in Water Horse, the boy rides the monster to expunge his own fear of water and elude the malignant forces of the adult world. Pretty heady stuff, that.