The film begins in modern-day (as of 2007) Scotland. Two American tourists meet with this old man, who tells the tale of a sea monster back in the day. He also claims that the photo they saw of it isn’t real.

The scene then switches to the year 1942. A young boy named Angus MacMorrow is on the shore, but avoiding the water since he is afraid of it. His mother finds him and tells him to come home.

Aside from his mom, Angus also has an older sister named Kirstie and a father, who is fighting in the Second World War. Angus thinks about his dad before he left for the war.

The next day, the Scottish military arrives and takes over the MacMorrows’ place. There is also a handyman named Lewis Mowbray, who takes over Angus and Kirstie’s father’s shed. Angus doesn’t like that. But Lewis yells at him that it is his until the father comes back.

Some point later; Angus finds a peculiar egg. It eventually hatches, revealing a baby water dragon. Angus names him Crusoe and develops a bond with him.

However, he knows that if his mom finds out about Crusoe, he will be in big trouble. But Kirstie discovers him. Angus begs her not to tell their mother. He also keeps Crusoe in the bathtub.

At some point, Lewis needs to do work in there. Angus and Kirstie try to hide Crusoe. But they only get so far. On the bright side, Lewis promises the kids that he will not inform their mom about Crusoe.

Later, the military holds a formal dinner with Mrs. MacMorrow. Angus and Kirstie are still attempting to hide Crusoe. Unfortunately, he breaks loose. One of the servants has an aggressive dog that decides to chase Crusoe. Not only does everyone at the dinner hear the chaos, but the dog and Crusoe run across the table.

Disappointed, Mrs. MacMorrow asks Lewis to take Angus to his room. Lewis also feels that Crusoe is so big that he should now be in open water.

The next day, Captain Hamilton considers Lewis to be a bad influence on Angus. He chooses to teach Angus some discipline by “enrolling” him in the military.

After a few days of training, Angus runs off and reunites with Crusoe, who is now a huge creature. He even rides on his back for a while. That even includes a deep dive, which Angus had previously feared. But he overcomes it.

Not long after, the military takes the MacMorrows to a hill, where they will perform a firing demonstration. However, Angus knows that it could kill Crusoe. He tries to protest but fails. If that’s not bad enough, he is punished by having to go to his room by 6 P.M. every night for a month.

Meanwhile, two fisherman who had seen Crusoe attempt to photograph him. But they end up creating an imitation instead. The fake picture still prompts a few soldiers to hunt Crusoe.

Angus finds out and sneaks out of his room with Kirstie’s help. When he gets to the water, he calls for Crusoe. Crusoe comes back but is traumatized from the firing earlier. He even almost bites Angus.

Stakes are rising, and Crusoe along with Angus and his family are in danger.

I will admit that this movie did not engage me as much as I hoped. Much of the first half bored me. I would constantly check how much time remained in the film.

On the bright side, the second half got more exciting. For example, I enjoyed watching Angus ride Crusoe. It was fun and adventurous.

Angus was likable, and so was his bond with Crusoe. He didn’t exactly have a heartwarming bond with his mother or sister. But the flashbacks of him with his father were sweet.

Although Lewis displeased me at first, his relationship with Angus improved, even if he was a “bad influence.” I appreciated how he was willing to keep Crusoe’s presence from Angus’s mom.

One part that I found strange and confusing was when the military took over the MacMorrows’ home. Why did they do that?

Yes, this movie was set during WWII. And the laws in Scotland at the time might have been different than those in the United States (where I’m from). But I wish their reason for dominating the place like that had been answered.

Scenes switched very frequently throughout the movie. But it was not always fast-paced. In fact, the pacing varied throughout the story.

Like with any decent film, this one had a lot of twists and turns. See it to find out what they are.

Overall, I thought The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep was just okay. It isn’t very long for a fantasy movie. It’s less than two hours.

Anyway, I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars.