The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep review

WWII: while the rest of Europe erupts, lonesome wee Scottish laddie Angus MacMorrow (Millions’ Alex Etel) finds an encrusted egg on a beach. The strange sphere produces a friendly, fast-growing water horse that soon becomes big enough to attract the army’s attention… Dick King-Smith’s popular kids’ book gets sympathetic treatment from the Chronicles Of Narnia team, with Angus’ sense of isolation as palpable as his excitement at owning a pet monster. It’s a handsome production – wartime Scotland has never looked lovelier. But don’t be deceived by the oak panelling and misty glens, there’s a contemporary bite behind the period whimsy: “This war is insane,” spits Mrs MacMorrow (Emily Watson), firing a clear message to Messrs Bush and Brown.