Movie Review: The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Overview

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be. The previews set this one up like it's going to be a child-friendly romp with a dino-pet theme that the little ones will just eat up. I don't know if the family in front of me (who just so happened to have a child that was begging to leave) influenced me much or not, but this movie was simply not made with the idea of keeping little ones engaged. You'll find some classic kiddy moments (such as the dog running across the table during a fine meal), but they are lost through the movie and replaced by serious discussions about the loss of Angus' father, Lewis' past, Anne's stress and World War II.


WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Click to skip spoilers

Water Horse begins with an old man telling two Lock Ness tourists a story. Angus (Alex Etel) is walking along a beach and finds an odd rock. Much to his surprise, his large rock... hatches. Angus, who is not allowed to have a pet, hides Crusoe (the Water Horse) from his mother. His sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) and the new house handyman Lewis (Ben Chaplin) help him until Crusoe becomes far too large to be a garage pet. You'll never guess where they decide to release him! ;)

END OF SPOILERS


The problem that I had with this film is that it was just a story. I don't mean that it was fiction, I mean that it really had no "conflict and resolution." It was just a story of the events that happened to Angus and Crusoe. That's where this movie's problems lie: it's not made for kids, it doesn't contain the plot needed for adults, it's not funny enough to be a comedy, it's not deep enough to be a drama. It's just a good story about the legend of the Lock Ness monster. I don't want to make it sound like I hated the movie, because I didn't. There are movies where after you leave you'll tell everyone to go see it; others you'll tell people not to see. I'll probably just not say much about this one.


Concerns

• Scary
  This film could be scary. There are a few moments in the movie that could be frightening to some children. They called it the Lock Ness monster, and at times in the movie it is exactly that... a monster.


• Mild drinking/smoking
  If you're worried about your child ever seeing someone smoke a cigarette or drink alcohol, then you should know there are a couple of scenes where drinking/smoking take place.


• "Bloody"
  It isn't a cuss word in America, but it is where this movie is set. Other simple phrases such as "what the devil?" are also used.

Teachable Themes

• Don't Judge Too Quickly
  The handyman, Lewis, was very quickly judged by Captain Hamilton of the British Army as a deserter and an unrespectable man. Captain Hamilton later finds out that Lewis was actually a war vet who was injured in action and given an honorable discharge by the British Navy.


• Don't Lie to your Parents
  Angus keeps his pet a secret from his mother during the entire movie. The movie never seems to put any sort of punishment on Angus for doing this, but we should teach children that he was disobeying his mother

Biblical References

• Don't Judge Too Quickly:
  • James 4:11 - "Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it."


• Don't Lie to your Parents:
  • Ephesians 6:1 - "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
  • Colossians 3:20 - "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."

Discussion Questions

• Don't Judge Too Quickly:
  1. Have you ever judged someone?
  2. What were you judging them against? (Good people? Bad people?)
  3. Does God judge us?
  4. What does God judge us against?
  5. Should we judge others?
  
  
• Don't Lie to your Parents:
  1. What happens when we lie to our parents?
  2. Does God like for us to lie to our parents?
  3. When we lie to our parents, what should we do?

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