Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep Blu-ray Movie Review

Wholesome family entertainment arrives in a slick Blu-ray package.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 21, 2008

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.

Young Scottish lad Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel, Danny Boyle's Millions) is counting down the days until his father returns from fighting the Germans at sea, a day that, regrettably, will never come. A boy now both fascinated and horrified by the water, he one day discovers an odd, egg-shaped object on the beach. Soon enough, it hatches in his father's old workshop, and from it emerges a creature Angus cannot identify from the books located in the family library, but names "Crusoe." All Angus knows is that it enjoys raw potatoes and seems to need water. Providing for its needs, he feeds the creature what he can scrounge up and eventually transplants it to a tub in a spare bathroom from the old metal rubbish pail it has suddenly outgrown. Soon, the Scottish Navy arrives to board in and around the house to facilitate the creation of a perimeter to defend against German encroachment in the waterways near the house, as does a handyman named Lewis (Ben Chaplin, Murder By Numbers) who befriends Angus, discovers the secret of the creature in the bathroom, and sets out to educate both the audience and Angus as to what exactly it is. Angus and Lewis must protect the creature from all of the dangers of the world, from a zealous bulldog to the entire unit stationed at the house, a group of soldiers on-edge and with itchy trigger fingers, waiting for anything out of the ordinary to attack.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is so fresh, original, and touching that it simply must be seen to be appreciated. The movie also has the backdrop of a little-seen slice of history, the involvement of the Scottish Navy in World War II, but that's mostly beside the point, though it does set up some comical, harrowing, and poignant sequences throughout the film. The set of characters, notably Angus, his mother (Emily Watson, Corpse Bride) and Lewis are not only acted well, but their characters are excellent, well thought out, perhaps a bit clichéd, but presented so real and so life-like that we forget that we've encountered similar characters before, but not like this, and certainly not in such a backdrop or with such an interesting creature as the Water Horse. They all play their parts with sheer perfection, acting appropriately awed, saddened, joyful, and courageous only to the point of believability, no more, and no less. I enjoyed each performance immensely, and while they were overlooked for the major awards, they nevertheless deserve any and all accolades presented them.

As well drawn as the characters are, as real as they seem, as much of a show stopper each one proves to be, the real star is obviously the animated Water Horse, and it never disappoints. It plays not only a character but a being with emotions that are always seen through its eyes and worn on its figurative sleeve. The designers of this character truly understand what it takes to bring CGI to life, to make it not only the focal point of the show but to endear it with a wonderful personality and vigor that I haven't seen from any other animated character that interacts in a real-world environment. The Water Horse says more through its actions and eyes than any human character in the film, and that's saying quite a lot, as excellent as were the human performances. Although CGI still has a ways to go before it's completely seamless, what the character lacks in absolute visual perfection it more than makes up for in charm and heart, and the end result is a fantasy character who may very well go down in the annals of cinema history as one of the more cherished we've yet encountered.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Water Horse: Legend of the Deep Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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!

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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!