| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
N/A |
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| Direction: |
N/A |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Look and Wonder
by Ed (movies profile)
Jul 8, 2008
45
of
50 people found this review helpful
This period-piece film of magic and friendship, based on the book The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith, opens the imagination of children of all ages to the mythical Loch Ness Monster, the perils of World War II, and the bonding of relationships.
This plot can let your imagination run riot, which is the fun of it. The story's appeal is its simplicity; it is straightforwardly about the relationships between a family of people and one strange animal, and the effect the creature has on that family. It taps into the universal themes of magic and friendship when the creature, as it grows, becomes a beautiful metaphor for the relationship Angus once had with his father. Crusoe helps Angus grow from a young child caught in a war-torn United Kingdom towards maturity and the ability to accept realities.
The performances by the entire cast were great. Angus's mother Anne is a complex character, in denial about the loss of her husband and about her new feelings for the secretive and enigmatic handyman. This scenario provides a platform for another character in the film, Captain Hamilton, a man who cares for Anne but is extremely unsure of himself. His orders are to lead an army troop to secure the Loch Ness waterways against attack from Germany, but they haven't been properly prepared for that responsibility. I was very impressed with the visual effects and the CGI of the Loch Ness creature in the water chase scenes, which were the most exciting parts of the movie.
Good family film I'd say. |
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