The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)

As far as kid's films go, The Water Horse is above average, but not particularly special. While I give it a lot of credit for taking a largely unexpected direction toward the end, ultimately this isn't much more than an adorable cross-breed of Jurassic Park and Free Willy. All the characters are broadly telegraphed stereotypes: you've got your oblivious parent, a pile of supporting cast members who all know something is up, the rogue adult who's in on the whole thing, and a generic precocious youth determined make things right. Also there's a cuddly, made-for- marketing Loch Ness "Monster" that is so damn lovable you can taste the saccharine. It's all here and for the most part it plays out exactly how you'd expect it to. That's not all bad news; the effects on the titular Water Horse are exceptionally well done, and while the pacing is probably a bit slow for the youth of today's ritalin-based diet, the patient will likely enjoy the predictably precious affair. There's not a lot that stands out from the crowd here, but what's here works in spite of its stock elements to deliver a family film that gets by almost solely on cute factor.

6 out of 10. (but it's a very cuddly 6)