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Ben Chaplin as Lewis Mowbray

As Angus, Alex Etel brings the same childlike enthusiasm, leavened by sadness, that he brought to Millions. And Watson is all too convincing as the weary, jaded mother who simply doesn't have the strength or spirit to believe in magic any more.

The storytelling, alas, falters in places. We are told at the beginning that Angus is afraid of the water, but when he finally takes the plunge, there is little if any sense of the fear being overcome; instead, it seems as though the filmmakers forgot all about it. At times an extra shot or two would have added to the characters' believability; for example, when Angus is called away from the shed by his mother at bedtime, he simply leaves, and the next thing we know, he is waking up in the morning, but he doesn't look back over his shoulder at the magical creature he is leaving behind, and there is no sense that he might have stayed up at night pondering his new pet.

Priyanka Xi as Alex's sister Kirstie

The film also makes awkward use of the flashback structure, shoehorning clips of the old pubgoer into the story in ways that break its momentum. (The first time this happens, it is so he can ask the tourists if he is boring them with his story—and since his question breaks the spell somewhat, he really shouldn't have asked.)

Of course, quibbles like these might not bother the children who are this film's main target audience. For them, The Water Horse offers some slapstick humor (as a bulldog belonging to one of the soldiers chases the "water horse" around the house), some heartfelt emotion, a few scares, and a thrilling glimpse of the world beneath the waves. And while it might not get much further than this basic truism, the film does affirm the basic message of the best kind of fairy tale: as with water, so with other things: there is more to this world than what we see on the surface.

Talk About It

1. The film calls itself a "true tale," but it is obviously not historical or based on what we normally think of as "based on a true story." Is it still "true," in a sense? How do stories—including fairy tales—tell the "truth"? What about, say, Jesus' parables?
2. Have you ever had a really big secret? Were you able to tell anyone? Who? How did they react? Have you ever discovered someone else's secret? What did you do?
3. Captain Hamilton briefly tries to make Angus act like a soldier, telling him, "You are aimless. We're going to give you some purpose, make a soldier out of you." Why would being a soldier give a person "purpose"? Where do you find purpose?
4. In a particular moment of despair, Anne tells her son, "There is no magic. … There's just the war, and death, and people going insane." How would you answer her? Is there "magic" in the world? Where does it come from?
5. Does "magic" give you purpose? Is it possible to have purpose without some sort of "magic"? (Think, for example, of the "Deep Magic" in the Narnia stories.)

The Family Corner

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is rated PG for some action/peril (the creature dodges artillery that is fired into Loch Ness), mild language (the occasional "hell" or "oh my God," at least one reference to "Jesus, Mary and Joseph") and brief smoking.

Photos © Copyright Columbia Pictures

© Peter T. Chattaway subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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