Bet ween the Frames

All about real film criticism
Permalink : http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/betweentheframes

Thursday , June 5 , 2008

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - Dazzling, Hilarious, and Moving in Equal Measure

Posted by betweentheframes , Reader : 260 , 19:40:52

From the author of Babe, the director of My Dog Skip and the digital wizards of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a surprise, a charming family film that skips the sugar coating to create a convincing bond between a boy and a beast. Featuring a kid who discovers the Loch Ness monster and, in caring for it, grows up a little himself, it's so pleasingly old-fashioned that you could almost believe it was made in the World War II era during which it's set. The story begins in the present, when a couple of young American tourists are staring at the famous, bogus, photograph of the Lochness monster in a Scottish pub. A loquacious old gentleman (Brian Cox) sits in a pub and regales a couple of tourists with the tall tale of one solemn boy Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel), a lonely boy, who misses his off-at-war dad, living on an estate in the Scottish Highlands, where his war-widowed housekeeper mother (Emily Watson) has been charged to keep the home fires burning during the World War II. Refusing to accept his father's death, Angus finds a welcome source of distraction when he digs up a luminous blue egg that hatches into a lizard unknown to the natural history textbooks. With the help of his younger sister (Priyanka Xi) and a mysterious but friendly handyman Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) who thinks it might be a water horse, the singular sea creature of Celtic lore, Angus successfully conceals the existence of his new pet, which he names "Crusoe", and which grows by leaps and bounds into a kind of aquatic hippo with webbed feet and shiny grey skin, and then into the Loch Ness monster. Eventually Crusoe gets too big and is moved to the loch. A battalion of English soldiers move into the manor home and establish a base to watch for any possible German submarines entering the loch. The final scenes are an exhilarating confrontation between the soldiers and Crusoe. The film manages to combine a war story, a triangular romance, a slapstick comedy and a special-effects spectacular without oozing down, with plenty of gentle humor in the film, thanks to an assured script by Robert Nelson Jacobs. The filmmakers breathe a new life into a familiar legend, layering the plot with all kinds of issues that keep us interested, while never tipping over into sentimentality. Even the tentative love triangle between Watson, Morrissey and Chaplin plays out in unexpected ways that give insight into each character's internal struggles. It has a lot of sly humor about what we know, or have heard, about the Loch Ness monster and various frauds associated with it, and fills the edges of the screen with first-rate supporting performance, with actors the caliber of Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin and Brian Cox as an old-timer who spins stories in the local pub. Alex Etel, a terrifically natural actor, was a revelation in the remarkable Millions, and his soulful, natural quality is a highlight of the story too. He makes an appealing lead and there's strong support from Priyanka Xi as his sister. We know he is acting in front of a blank blue screen, yet whenever he clings to the long-necked beast with fear and wonder in his eyes, we're ready to go along for the ride. As a sympathetic lead, he genuinely conveys the loneliness Angus experiences now that his father has gone to war. We get a real sense of the joy Crusoe brings him. The interaction between Angus and his "pet" is genuinely funny, exciting, even thrilling, and isn't afraid to get a fairly dark at times. It's very nicely played by a very gifted cast, including one of the best English performances in recent memory. Watson, Morrissey and Chaplin bring depth and complexity to what could have been fairly overused characters. There's something undeniably engaging about all of them. Watson is suitably matronly as Angus's mother, but there's a glimpse of a kind and warm heart there too. Watson and Chaplin are great. They have very little dialogue yet convey so much emotion. They hold themselves in ways that speak volumes about their wounds. The blossoming relationship between Chaplin's Lewis and Watson's Anne is nicely done. Brian Cox is solid as the grown up Angus, who recounts the fable-like story in flashback. It's a delightful family film that explores the relationship between a boy and his father, as well as the unforgettable friendship that changes his life. Although this fable contains more clichés than a politician’s speech, it still manages to charm because the characters are strong enough to carry this movie. Solid acting, excellent production design and a ripping plot lift it far above average. Where the film becomes even more interesting is in the militaristic themes that begin to emerge through the story. Even without the creature, this would still be a fascinating examination of personal tragedies on several levels, echoed in the enthusiastic, trigger-happy attitude of young soldiers with very big guns, which endangers far more than just the enemy. With a strong script, superb effects and impressive performances throughout, viewers of all ages will appreciate that The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, despite its fantasy, digs in with a real story about complex people as an enjoyable, well made fantasy adventure that's dazzling, hilarious, and moving in equal measure.

From the author of Babe, the director of My Dog Skip and the digital wizards of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a surprise, a charming family film that skips the sugar coating to create a convincing bond between a boy and a beast. Featuring a kid who discovers the Loch Ness monster and, in caring for it, grows up a little himself, it's so pleasingly old-fashioned that you could almost believe it was made in the World War II era during which it's set.

The story begins in the present, when a couple of young American tourists are staring at the famous, bogus, photograph of the Lochness monster in a Scottish pub. A loquacious old gentleman (Brian Cox) sits in a pub and regales a couple of tourists with the tall tale of one solemn boy Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel), a lonely boy, who misses his off-at-war dad, living on an estate in the Scottish Highlands, where his war-widowed housekeeper mother (Emily Watson) has been charged to keep the home fires burning during the World War II. Refusing to accept his father's death, Angus finds a welcome source of distraction when he digs up a luminous blue egg that hatches into a lizard unknown to the natural history textbooks. With the help of his younger sister (Priyanka Xi) and a mysterious but friendly handyman Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) who thinks it might be a water horse, the singular sea creature of Celtic lore, Angus successfully conceals the existence of his new pet, which he names "Crusoe", and which grows by leaps and bounds into a kind of aquatic hippo with webbed feet and shiny grey skin, and then into the Loch Ness monster. Eventually Crusoe gets too big and is moved to the loch. A battalion of English soldiers move into the manor home and establish a base to watch for any possible German submarines entering the loch. The final scenes are an exhilarating confrontation between the soldiers and Crusoe.

The film manages to combine a war story, a triangular romance, a slapstick comedy and a special-effects spectacular without oozing down, with plenty of gentle humor in the film, thanks to an assured script by Robert Nelson Jacobs. The filmmakers breathe a new life into a familiar legend, layering the plot with all kinds of issues that keep us interested, while never tipping over into sentimentality. Even the tentative love triangle between Watson, Morrissey and Chaplin plays out in unexpected ways that give insight into each character's internal struggles. It has a lot of sly humor about what we know, or have heard, about the Loch Ness monster and various frauds associated with it, and fills the edges of the screen with first-rate supporting performance, with actors the caliber of Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin and Brian Cox as an old-timer who spins stories in the local pub.

Alex Etel, a terrifically natural actor, was a revelation in the remarkable Millions, and his soulful, natural quality is a highlight of the story too. He makes an appealing lead and there's strong support from Priyanka Xi as his sister. We know he is acting in front of a blank blue screen, yet whenever he clings to the long-necked beast with fear and wonder in his eyes, we're ready to go along for the ride. As a sympathetic lead, he genuinely conveys the loneliness Angus experiences now that his father has gone to war. We get a real sense of the joy Crusoe brings him. The interaction between Angus and his "pet" is genuinely funny, exciting, even thrilling, and isn't afraid to get a fairly dark at times.

It's very nicely played by a very gifted cast, including one of the best English performances in recent memory. Watson, Morrissey and Chaplin bring depth and complexity to what could have been fairly overused characters. There's something undeniably engaging about all of them. Watson is suitably matronly as Angus's mother, but there's a glimpse of a kind and warm heart there too. Watson and Chaplin are great. They have very little dialogue yet convey so much emotion. They hold themselves in ways that speak volumes about their wounds. The blossoming relationship between Chaplin's Lewis and Watson's Anne is nicely done. Brian Cox is solid as the grown up Angus, who recounts the fable-like story in flashback. It's a delightful family film that explores the relationship between a boy and his father, as well as the unforgettable friendship that changes his life.

Although this fable contains more clichés than a politician’s speech, it still manages to charm because the characters are strong enough to carry this movie. Solid acting, excellent production design and a ripping plot lift it far above average. Where the film becomes even more interesting is in the militaristic themes that begin to emerge through the story. Even without the creature, this would still be a fascinating examination of personal tragedies on several levels, echoed in the enthusiastic, trigger-happy attitude of young soldiers with very big guns, which endangers far more than just the enemy.

With a strong script, superb effects and impressive performances throughout, viewers of all ages will appreciate that The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, despite its fantasy, digs in with a real story about complex people as an enjoyable, well made fantasy adventure that's dazzling, hilarious, and moving in equal measure.

Post comment | send mail to friend

Comment

"If you are not member, please register to comment.
It take only a few steps."

member sign in | member register

name :
email :
website :
comment :

		back top

<<	June 2008					>>
s	m	t	w	t	f	s
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30