7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
The story of The Water Horse begins when a young boy named Angus MacMorrow takes home a mysterious object he finds on the beach. He soon realizes that it is a magical egg, and finds himself raising an amazing creature: a mythical "water horse". As he and his friend, whom he names Crusoe, form a bond of friendship, Angus begins a journey of discovery, protecting a secret that gives birth to a legend.
Starring: Emily Watson, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Priyanka XiFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 60% |
Fantasy | 48% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A true tale it is...
The best thing I can say about The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is to skip right to
what I normally reserve for the end of the review -- I strongly suggest
purchasing the movie right away on Blu-ray. Whether you have children or not, I'm confident
that
the movie's magic and luster will leave even the most cynical, hard-headed, stone-hearted, tough
guy feeling good by the end, having experienced one of the most magical and amazing films in
decades. This is one of those movies that doesn't feel like a movie. All the thematic elements
are
there, but it's so well-done in nearly every aspect that it completely draws the audience in and
the
end of the movie comes as a bit of a shock, not because of anything that necessarily happens
on-screen, but because of the utter disbelief and disorientation of being pulled back out of the
movie
and into reality. Perhaps the fastest 112 minutes you'll ever experience in film, The Water
Horse: Legend of the Deep represents a new classic in cinema, a film that while not perfect
masks the few flaws it does have with an abundance of magic and joy, not to mention heart and
soul.
Big things come in small packages.
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep surfaces in Blu-ray high definition with an excellent transfer that is only overshadowed by the incredible sound mix of the film. This 2.40:1 transfer is breathtaking, and from the opening moments of the film we are treated to some of most lush and vibrant scenery I've encountered so far on Blu-ray, the rolling green hills of Scotland (filmed in New Zealand) providing the backdrop for this incredible tale. Nearly every frame is crystal clear and sharp, offering up excellent clarity and definition. A few indoor shots suffer from a bit of haziness or softness, but these are few and far between, truly the only blemish I noted during the course of the movie. The level of detail is incredible; even loose threads and random hairs or fuzzies seen on clothing are visible plain as day when the camera is appropriately close enough to make them out. Every color is distinct and vibrant; even the various shades of brown and tan of the military uniforms presents viewers with a pleasant array of color, though the vast, wonderful greens of the yards and foliage seen throughout definitely steal the show from a visual perspective. Flesh tones are also presented naturally and accurately so far as I could tell. Black levels are excellent, and the look of the film and quality of the transfer holds up very well even in many dire sequences, including a nighttime rainstorm where a mediocre or poor transfer would definitely show its lack of depth, clarity, and overall brilliance. Here, every detail, every pixel, every frame holds its own, the image never missing a beat even in the most difficult-to-reproduce sequences. Another excellent transfer from Sony, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a visual feast and an overall excellent image worthy of the Blu-ray label.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack found on this Blu-ray disc is one of the most remarkable I've heard yet. Not only is it active -- it's very active -- but remains clean and manageable, never becoming so loud and engaging as to lose definition and detail of sound. The movie begins with a pleasing and relaxing introductory music from legendary composer James Newton Howard (Batman Begins) that is reproduced with amazing clarity and attention to detail, absolutely room-filling and wondrous to behold, a marvelous way to begin the proceedings. Dialogue reproduction is excellent; I never encountered a problem discerning what was being said, and the Scottish accents were never so thick as to make dialogue interpretation difficult, and I never once thought about turning on the subtitles. Surround sound presence is nonstop throughout, creating not necessarily a "barrage" of sound, but more like a "natural" level of sound, and some of the more action-oriented and loud sequences are only appropriately raucous, never overly so. I love underwater sequences, if only for the recreation of sound possible in such scenarios, and we have a few good ones here, one in particular that is downright frightening in realism, making you feel completely submerged, the pressure of the water tightening around you, and it's a remarkable experience. There are many other powerful and effective effects, such as a thunderstorm heard early in the movie, sounding as good as the real thing, encircling the viewer with rain and the booms and reverberations of thunder, creating an all-too-real atmosphere. The subwoofer is used to great effect in many sequences. A scene where a convoy of approaching military trucks and equipment not only rattles the windows of the house seen in the film, but those in my media room as well. The LFE channel definitely gets a full workout throughout the course of this film. Sounds pan seamlessly from all directions, front to back, back to front, left to right, and right to left, and the result is one of the most natural soundtracks yet. Imaging is excellent and discrete effects come from all directions, the result being a realistic experience that's nearly second-to-none. Overall, this is simply one of the finest soundtracks yet on the Blu-ray format. Bravo!
Unfortunately, Sony has not provided many extras on this disc, the most obvious absence is a
commentary track. I'd have loved to hear the effects team as well as the cast discussing this
film,
but alas, we'll have to live with what we've got here. Six featurettes, presented in 1080i high
definition, represent the brunt of the extras. The first is entitled Myths and Legends
(10:25). This is the best feature on the disc, a short recounting of the, well, myths and legends
concerning the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. Also included here is a nice recounting of director
Jay Russell's tale of his first visit to the famous site. The Story (11:40) examines the
origins of the story, including both the impact of the script on the filmmakers as well as a chat
with Dick King-Smith, author of the children's novel of the same name. The Characters
(15:29) is a standard-fare piece about the excellence of the actors in the film and the motivations
of the characters they play. The difference here is that the respect given the actors is actually
well-deserved. Setting the Scene (13:28) looks at the filming of the movie in New
Zealand, including the challenges of filming in remote locations with no easy access to roads or
parking lots, as well as shooting at the beautiful house seen in the movie. Water Work:
Creating the Water Horse (11:37) examines the difficulty and dangers of filming in water
and the still-impossible task of creating it digitally. There is some remarkable behind-the-scenes
footage of how many of the shots were rendered, and the effort that went into creating the most
realistic-looking fantasy film possible. Finally, Creating Crusoe (14:14) is the meat-and-
potatoes of the section of the featurettes, showcasing how this character was digitally created for
the film.
Virtual Crusoe Game allows players to raise their very own Water Horse from birth to
full-sized creature. Similar to The Sims, you must control its mood, energy, and
hunger.
Each of these must be maintained so it can grow. Your progress can be saved since the game
does take some time to complete. Eight deleted scenes (1080p, 6:43) and 1080p trailers for Surf's Up, Open Season,
Open Season 2, Monster House, and
Daddy Day Camp
conclude the special features.
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep may very well be one of the best films you might have never heard of, definitely a film that somehow slipped under my radar until I read of the Blu-ray release. While much of the movie definitely has a clichéd feel to it, it nevertheless approaches the material in a fresh and exciting manner, creating a wondrous world, one that we don't often see in film, where the mystical fits seamlessly into reality, where the wonder of the situation is palpable but never overwhelming or phony, where a story too good to be true is presented to us as if it were absolute, indisputable fact, a story replete with well-meaning characters and motivations, and one that is definitely suitable for the entire family. As a blu-ray disc, this one is fantastic. The excellent video quality is surpassed only by the audio. One of the most active yet natural tracks with a high use of surrounds I've heard, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is flat-out one of the top mixes available today on Blu-ray. The only place where this disc falls short is in the supplemental materials department, but don't let that discourage you from purchasing this remarkable movie and disc. One of the best movies I had never heard of before seeing it, and one of the better family-oriented films, period, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a disc worthy of every serious Blu-ray collection. Highly recommended!
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Special Edition
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Limited Edition Collector's Set
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30th Anniversary Edition | US Version
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