The Legend of Longwood

It is not too common that a small production company makes a wonderful film with a nice story line, cast and nicely done overall. The Legend of Longwood is a wonderful dramatic story that will be enjoyed by most who sees it.

The main genre of this film is drama with a sense of adventure and fantasy thrown in. Also, they include from time to time a bit of comedy making the story enjoyable, yet thrilling.

The story begins when a young girl named Mickey (Lucy Morton) is torn away from New York where she lives with her family because they have to move to Ireland on almost the opposite side of the world. She arrives sad and depressed. To add to the problems of leaving New York, she leaves behind the memory of her passed away horse which is the only connection she has to her dad. (If you want to find out more about he dad, you have got to watch the film!) She and her family settle in and she soon learns about a legend and starts a massive and dramatic adventure along with a discovery which leads to a very unexpected ending.

This film is a wonderful production with nicely executed shots and story plot. You never expect what happens so it is just a thrilling thing to watch. The director, Lisa Mulcahy, really excels at creating a compelling story with everything in perfect position. The only con I have is that the acting with some of the younger talent is a bit dull at times. Also, they move through conversations so fast that I missed important parts of the story, making me wondering what happened later.

My favorite scene is when a elderly lady tells Mickey the story of the, 'Mysterious Black Knight' which is a 300-year-old legend. It is shown through animated pictures and narration and becomes a very, if not the most, important part of the story.

This film really has nothing too mature for kids, so I recommend it for ages 9 to 18. I also give it 4 out of 5 stars because, although it is very nicely done in terms of directing, story and camera shots, it lacks somewhat in terms of acting skills and feels rushed at times.

Reviewed by Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13.

Gave this a shot, based on the 6.9 star rating, and in the hopes it would perhaps be close to a "Roan Inish"-type movie--a mythical tale that could be enjoyed by all ages. It disappointed, though, sadly. The girl who plays Mickey, the young girl protagonist, does a good job, but she could not out-nuance the boring, predictable storyline and caricatured, "bad adult" characters. The one glimmer of interest, and the best scene in the movie, was that provided by Miriam Margolyes' fun acting (aka Professor Sprout from Harry Potter), but sadly she's not in it long. There's some nice scenery of Ireland and some really beautiful horses, so if you have little girls, they would like this movie, maybe?

The Legend of Longwood, is a wonderful movie for families and teens. Its unique plot keeps you wondering what will be next. It is full of mystery, suspense and hope. As a cognitive neuroscientist, I develop programs for reduce exposure to injury and trauma for adults, teens and children. A point I would take from this movie, "parents never underestimate your child. Validate them, listen to them, they often have more to offer than you think". Dr. James DeCarli

A very enjoyable and entertaining film that big audiences can enjoy! I'd recommend it for families to watch together, it's really a family friendly film.

Only six reviews entered to date is surprising. This movie was made in 2014 so one would have expected more reviews. The legend was nice, but the acting by some adults was inapt and childish. The children, on the other hand, were fairly good with excellent acting by the lead girl (Lucy Morton). She played the role of an 11 year old girl, yet at the time when the movie was made she was already 20, which was kept a secret from the crew. Nevertheless the movie was poorly produced and better editing could have improved the show overall. But still the horses were beautiful and saved the day with a star rating of 5 being my contribution.