The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)

Réalisateur:

Jay Russell

Writers (WGA):

Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay)
Dick King-Smith (book)

Release Date:

25 décembre 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Aventure | Family | Fantasy

Accroche:

Every big secret starts small.

Plot:

A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend. |

Plot Keywords:

Cook | Wilhelm Scream | Sea Monster | Fishing | Dog

Awards:

5 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Good family film

Ensemble

Bruce Allpress	...	Jock McGowan
Geraldine Brophy	...	Gracie
Eddie Campbell	...	Hughie (as Edward Campbell)
Ben Chaplin	...	Lewis Mowbray
Peter Corrigan	...	Jimmy's Buddy #1
Brian Cox	...	Old Angus
Carl Dixon	...	Gunner Corbin
Alex Etel	...	Angus MacMorrow
Nathan Christopher Haase	...	Male Tourist
Craig Hall	...	Charlie MacMorrow
Ian Harcourt	...	Jimmy McGarry
Rex Hurst	...	Jimmy's Buddy #2
Bill Johnson	...	Clyde (as William Johnson)
Megan Katherine	...	Female Tourist
Elliot Lawless	...	Beach Kid

Autre(s) titre(s) :

The Water Horse (International: English title) (informal short title)
The WaterHorse: Legend of the Deep (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Dragon des mers - La dernière légende, Le (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) (poster title) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for some action/peril, mild language and brief smoking.

Durée:

112 min

Pays:

USA | UK

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Son:

SDDS | DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Classification:

Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Malaysia:U | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | Germany:6 | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Taiwan:GP

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Camperdown Studios, Camperdown Road, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Company:

Beacon Pictures

Anecdotes:

The title, 'The Water Horse', is a reference to the kelpie, a malevolent beast of Celtic lore that would disguise itself as a horse to lure unsuspecting victims to it. Once the unfortunate soul had mounted the kelpie, it would drag him or her down to their watery death.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Lewis Mowbray ridicules the Captain's mission but not the War Effort noting that he has admiration for the British troops fighting on the front lines in Europe. By 1942, there were no British regulars left in Europe and the only front line was in the Soviet Union.

Connexions De Film:

Spoofs Jaws (1975)

Soundtrack:

Garden in the Rain

Good family film

It is reassuring to see more and more family-oriented films being issued without everyone having to rely on the Disney and Pixar folks to carry all the weight. That said, it would have been interesting to see what Disney might have done with this story. In the end, I would highly recommend this for family viewing - it has laughs, thrills, beautiful scenery, and a heartwarming storyline that offers opportunities for family discussion.

As with most things, there are good and bad sides to this film. On the plus side, the acting is above-par by all the actors(the adult male leads look startlingly like a young Liam Neeson and a Gaelic Antonio Banderas), the location footage is gorgeous, the period "feels right", and the title namesake is very well executed and most believable. Major kudos to the special effects teams, they did a magnificent job.

On the downside, the denouement is telegraphed well in advance and comes as no surprise, and there are some unanswered questions and several plot lines end without resolution. I have a feeling a "directors cut" would probably restore studio-mandated cuts and resolve these issues. The Director, Jay Russell, has helmed other very successful films (including a little-known but personal favorite "End of the Line") which were also obviously "fiddled with" by studio decree. Such is the business of film-making.

In the end, I greatly enjoyed this film, and plan to add it to my vast collection when it is released for home viewing.