into a likable, gigantic plesiosaur, a strange man, who might be a German spy, starts as caretaker of the boy's father's estate, and a gunnery unit takes over the estates grounds. The captain of the gunnery unit takes a shine to the boy's Mom, and tries to instill discipline to the boy by treating him like a drill sergeant would a recruit. Meanwhile, the new caretaker decides to keep the boy's new pet a secret. and wins the respect of the boy's mother. Although there is no real violence in this movie there is a killer hunter cook and some shooting. In fact there is a scene with cannon fire that might scare young children. And of course the cook has a tough bull-dog who likes to chase things. The characters here are well developed and the acting and cinematography is superb. This movie will not disappoint.

it very much. I loved how the plot was multi-layered and plenty of tension as Crusoe comes under threat from some trigger-happy army soldiers. I have to point out that Lake Whakatipu in NZ's South Island was used for a lot of the Loch Ness scenes so should get credit from those who loved the scenery! Bravo to WETA Workshop for the realism and believability of the water horse- just gorgeous! He/she has plenty of screen time too. This is a great movie for all ages. It is sure-footed and very enjoyable!! For Kiwis watching it's fun spotting familiar faces in the supporting cast.

because are wonderful in all the extension of the word. Beautiful Movie!!!

there is a Nessie! Mum Grammy is British and flew Spitfires in WWII. She told of regiments taking over estates and the events in this movie matches her stories. Two small critical comments: The male/female travelers who open and close the film were far too forced and it felt like they were given the roles as friends of a director/producer? It's too bad because the opening and closing of the film felt awkward and unconnected with the rest of the charming story. There is a sequence of footage of the young lad working that repeated itself that felt like it was just looking for extra shots and couldn't find them. Having done that as an amateur, I was surprised when the pros did this! Enjoy this film. Thank-you to all who worked on it!

Boorman's great 1987 classic, "Hope and Glory." To be strictly honest, it isn't quite as good, but Boorman's was a masterpiece, and this one is, well, very good.In one respect, the story is a bit silly, as far as the monster part is concerned. However, the FX were seamless and perfect, and the monster was imbued with a personality that was matey, and fitting. It worked. I don't find legends of the Loch Ness Monster, or Sasquatch, or that sort of thing very interesting. Nonetheless, this monster was flawless, and more akin to the whale in "Free Willy" than some totally irrelevant yarn such as the Harry Potter stories no offence intended to fans of those stories, please .This story had real enough human emotion and "life" happenings. It is 1942, the war is still going badly, and the young boy, I'm guessing he's supposed to be about 10 or so, keeps a quiet and secret "fortress" and "Intel HQ" in the estate's work shed. He has maps and charts and flags pinned all around, charting the progress of the war. He has pictures of his father, fondly remembered, and he even has his dad's release from service date marked on his special calendar. He "X's" out each day until his father is set to return. Spoiler--- his father has died in a naval battle of some kind, and the boy's mother hasn't the heart to tell him. His older sister, probably around 14 or 15 or so, probably also knows her father is dead and won't be returning. But out of love and an appropriate kindness, neither the mother nor the sister tell the boy that sad fact of wartime life.Eventually the boy figures out his dad is gone--- after all, it has been a year since his disappearance. He finally says to his mother--"Dad's not coming home, is he." A statement, not a question.Anyway, no single aspect of the story is stunning or profound, particularly. But taken together, it is a heart-warming and lovely film to bask in. The historical vibe was spot on, and the people involved were interesting and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is suitable for kids, of course, but very sweet and nice for adults as well. Go see it. You'll be glad you did!

gorgeous, and I equally loved the efficient pace and lovely soundtrack. Overall, visually dazzling and delightful. 9/10 Bethany Cox

in the theater. It was made very well and I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more notice, but like I said, I think I just saw something special in the story. We haven't had a Lochness monster movie, all we know is the infamous picture that has never been prove to be fake or real, and The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep tells us the story behind that picture.Agnus is a young and lonely boy in Scotland, his father who he was very close with has just gone off into WWII to fight. His home has just been taken over by English soldiers to fight off the German's. His family has lost something too, life and laughter. But when Agnus comes across what looks like a strange rock, is actually an egg left by an Water Horse, the rarest of all creatures, there can only be one in the world at a time. But he takes care of the baby who is water bound, while protecting him from his mom and the soldiers. But when the water horse, he named Crusoe, has grown too big, he and a family friend put him in the Lochness Lake where he is spotted and is now known as the infamous Lochness Monster.The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is truly and honestly a good film. It has such a magical touch like The Secret Garden, where it's a serious story, but it's for the family. I thought it was very well made, the visual effects are very good and not over done, which was great, because obviously the Lochness monster is going to be CGI, but they made it look so real, and so lovable, lol, like I said, I did cry, it's a tear jerker. The characters are terrific, they really found terrific actors for the roles. Alex Etel does a beautiful break out performance as Angus and was so charming. I would highly recommend The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, it's one of the best family films I have seen in a while.8/10

like a young Liam Neeson and a Gaelic Antonio Banderas , the location footage is gorgeous, the period "feels right", and the title namesake is very well executed and most believable. Major kudos to the special effects teams, they did a magnificent job.On the downside, the denouement is telegraphed well in advance and comes as no surprise, and there are some unanswered questions and several plot lines end without resolution. I have a feeling a "directors cut" would probably restore studio-mandated cuts and resolve these issues. The Director, Jay Russell, has helmed other very successful films including a little-known but personal favorite "End of the Line" which were also obviously "fiddled with" by studio decree. Such is the business of film-making.In the end, I greatly enjoyed this film, and plan to add it to my vast collection when it is released for home viewing.

the beginning lagged, I actually find myself kind of into the anti-war drama towards the end. All in all, a most satisfying night out at the movies!