This is a flick that invites comparison to "E.T." The movie centers on Angus, a 12-year-old boy who is the son of a housekeeper, Anne MacMorrow living in a luxurious manor in a Scottish village in the midst of World War II. When he discovers a mysterious rock on the beach and peels it, what hatches is a dragon-like creature he names Crusoe that rapidly expands to the size of a horse and has to be re-housed in the local loch. Crusoe is small creature (for the first few weeks), part dog, part giraffe and part who-knows-what emerges, he hides it in the bathroom, keeping its presence secret from his mom, letting its presence known only to his sister, Kirstie and a handyman, Lewis (who conspire with the boy to hide the fast-growing pet from others.) The water horse, which eventually grows way way way too big to be kept in the bathtub, must be transported to the sea, just as E.T. had to go home. Crusoe, as the Water Horse, is named, becomes the Loch Ness Monster.

"Water Horse" isn't as great as "E.T.," but it follows its template: a fairy tale that shifts into action-adventure. The movie has a great feel for the period (WWII), in which children didn't backtalk and something as simple as an orange delights Angus a solemn boy who misses his off-at-war dad. The movie benefits enormously from its rural setting - with the green hills and glittering lakes, Angus basically lives in a brochure for Scottish tourism.

I am not sure if this makes sense, but the director and cast did too good of a job. I could have enjoyed this movie even without the computer animated sea monster. The characters are strong enough to carry this movie without it.

Check out the trailer below.

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Disclaimer: The above Real Estate information was provided by Vincent Martinez, Realtor for the #1 Real Estate offices in New York and the #4 office in the USA. Vincent Martinez is a Certified Realtor Short Sale Professional by the Long Island Board of Realtors (L.I.B.O.R.) and a member of Prudential Douglas Elliman - Licensed Real Estate Broker. Vincent Martinez does not guarantee or is any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog post and information provided is without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Information here represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments by others may not express the views of the author. Movie Review - The Water Horse Copyright © 2009 By Vincent Martinez, All Rights Reserved.

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