It's the darkest days of WWII. Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) is a little boy living in Scotland waiting for the return of his father. He's afraid of the water but he finds an odd rock by the loch. It hatches into a tiny little creature. His sister Kirstie (Priyanka Xi) eventually finds out while they try to hide it from their mother (Emily Watson) who is the housekeeper for an estate. Complicating matters are the British troops under the command of Capt. Hamilton (David Morrissey) and the new hire Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin) who are staying at the estate. Then there is the hunt for Nazi submarines.

It's a fine little children's movie with a slightly darker edge. It's not a cartoon or particularly silly. Nobody will look for a stuff animal from this movie for a gift. It's not that cute. Little Alex Etel is the cute one in this movie. Basically this children movie hasn't been Disneyfied for both good and bad. The accents and old manor set may put off the kids if they're not Brits. Also I don't think the modern day storyline is particularly useful.

I personally would have liked The Water Horse to have been longer, but as a family movie it really delighted and charmed me. The story is very creative and helped by a very believable relationship between the boy and the monster and a poignant ending, and the script never feels mawkish or over-simplistic. The direction is consistent and there is some very believable acting, not just from Alex Etel but from Emily Watson, Brian Cox and especially David Morrisey as well. Visually, The Water Horse is dazzling. The effects on the monster are excellent while the scenery and cinematography are gorgeous, and I equally loved the efficient pace and lovely soundtrack. Overall, visually dazzling and delightful. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The setting is WW2 era Scotland, where a young boy discovers a strange egg which soon hatches into a dinosaur-like creature with a penchant for water. Against this tale lies a backdrop of conflict and strife, with locals, family members, and soldiers fleshing out the supporting characters. One of the best things about the production is the rugged scenery, almost a character in itself.

THE WATER HORSE is an attempt at a modern-day fairy tale but the execution is strictly uniform. The amount of scenes involving the creature doing 'cute' things means that this is a story aimed at little kids who will no doubt be entranced by the Disney-style creation. On the plus side, the CGI effects are excellent throughout, only getting a little hokey at the climax for obvious reasons.

Alex Etel (MILLIONS) plays the young protagonist, but he feels pretty miscast in the role, although we can be thankful it wasn't Freddie Highmore again. And in mentioning Highmore, I can't help but think this is much like the Hollywood version of FIVE CHILDREN AND IT, except lacking the complexity and charm of that film's original storyline. Although there are decent actors in support (Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Brian Cox), in the end THE WATER HORSE is one for kids only.