SCI FI PI

Released Jan 10
Starring Louis Owen Collins, Emily Watson, Brian Cox
Directed By Jay Russell
Rated PG





A combination of familiar elements for those who scour the genre, The Water Horse is, however, able to stand on its own two flippers and be more than just a boy and his monster kids’ movie.

There's a reference to E.T. on the poster and it's not unjustified - the story mirrors that one quite closely, and the heart-tugging is of similar ferocity, although in the end, it’s not half as saccharine.

Set during World War 2 around Loch Ness, this is the tale of young Angus, who is waiting for his Dad to come home from his “tour of duty” on the sea. Unfortunately for those intimately aware of Royal Naval protocol, this is one factual hurdle that might take quite a bit of chewing before it goes down (the “tour of duty” was one largely enjoyed by American forces. For excellent, historically accurate WWII Royal Navy exploits, go read Nicholas Montsarrat’s The Cruel Sea). That notwithstanding, it’s not the historical facts that make this interesting, it’s the barnacle-encrusted egg that Angus finds on the seashore. It opens, and well, you’ve seen the trailer. If you haven’t, it’s a baby Loch Ness monster.



What makes the ensuing story interesting is the sharp contrast (and constant juxtaposition) of light and dark. Wherever there’s a magical element or a moment of joy (or canny Scots humour), there’s also a moment of tough reality and responsibility, of heartbreaking sadness. It’s the perfect pinch of sour to knock the edge off a naturally sweet film. The result – an emotional roller coaster that will have even the cynical worldly parents blubbing (ever so slightly, not so that you’d notice it)next to the kids.

The legend of the Waterhorse itself is a good example of this sharp tang – whilst it is a mythical and wondrous creature, it is also the world’s loneliest creature; neither male or female, but producing an egg when it dies, that single egg going on to produce the only Waterhorse in the world.

Young Angus is similarly alone – left with a mother in charge of a great house, and no father to guide him. The two father figures that enter the film offer two completely different approaches to life, and in a sense, offer Angus two pathways – an English Artillery Captain Hamilton (David Morrissey) one of rigid stability, and from mysterious returned war veteran Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) one of freedom. Interestingly enough, these adult characters have extra dimensions as they interact with each other (and Angus), giving the film real depth and taking it beyond mere children’s cinema.