THE WATER HORSE

"Go Crusoe Go"

As the Second World War raged, young Angus MacMorrow (Etel) longed for the return of his father from his tour of duty with the Royal Navy. Petrified of the water, Angus spent his summer exploring the rock pools of Loch Ness but little did he know that what trouble a large, shiny rock would bring him. That rock was in fact an egg, which would hatch into the rarest creature on Earth, a water horse.

The legend of a sea monster in Loch Ness has intrigued the world for centuries but can a big screen version of the tale capture your heart as well as your interest?

Since the media got hold of the Loch Ness story back in the 1930s, the world has become obsessed with the chance that a creature of mythical or prehistoric origin was swimming around in the deep Scottish Loch. The story has also intrigued Hollywood and TV with plenty of live action and even animated versions of the beasts in the Loch but 'The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep' tries to explain what the mysterious animal is and where it came from.

Based on the novel by Dick King-Smith, the movie concentrates on what the creature in the Loch is. There explanation is that the creature is a Water Horse, a mythical creature that appears on Earth and for that moment, it is the only one of its kind. Set during World War II, this is the story of Angus MacMorrow, a lonely boy living in a stately home where is mother is the head house keeper. He is waiting for his father to return from the front and occupies his time collecting things and staying in his father's workshop. When he finds a strange rock on the shores of the Loch he takes it home to discover that this isn't exactly a rock but an egg that is about to hatch.

From there on in, we have a story that is very similar to watch we have seen before. In films like 'E.T. The Extra Terrestrial', 'Explorers', 'Flight of the Navigator' and any other film were a child discovers something that adults would not believe or would even see as a threat. Angus faces the same dilemma, as the British Army come in to fortify the Loch against German submarines blocking entrance into the inland sea and thus letting nothing out. This means that the contents of the egg cannot leave the loch and Angus knows that if anyone sees the creature he has christened Crusoe, he will never be able to head out to sea. While the story maybe similar, its execution doesn't really push this into something special but it will make you smile throughout.

It is the performances that make the movie standout. Alex Etel made a real impact in Danny Boyle's 'Millions' and he continues to impress here as Angus. Ben Chaplin continues to make a name for himself in Hollywood as Lewis Mowbray, the new handyman at the house. David Morrissey makes a suitable bad guy, as the overly zealous army captain who has eyes for Angus' mother Anne, played by the always excellent Emily Watson.

'The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep' is a nice family movie that youngster especially, should really enjoy. The young Crusoe, created by the masters at WETA Digital, is incredibly cute and this will resonate with children and when he grows to full size that is when the adventure starts. While it might not answer all the questions of Loch Ness, 'The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep' has a good attempt.