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 Unique Soundtrack Jul 14, 2009
Other than Braveheart, there are few soundtracks that really set a Celtic feel for a movie. This movie takes place in Scotland and the music really emphasizes that drawing one into the legendary side of the island. It's very enjoyable and relaxing to listen to and the track on the end by The Chieftains really puts the icing on the cake.
 Pretty Celic score, but not among JNH's best Sep 26, 2008
A delightful little fantasy with a Celtic lilt, The Water Horse is a children's family film directed by Jay Russell. Set in Scotland, it follows the adventures of a little boy named Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel), who befriends a rather unusual animal: an amphibious `water horse', which causes much mischief and mayhem in the MacMorrow household, but also eventually becomes the source of a much-discussed legend - the Loch Ness monster. The film stars Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, Brian Cox and David Morrissey in the adult roles, and features a pleasant score from James Newton Howard. As befits the setting, Howard breaks out his Scottish orchestrations, littering his orchestra with all manner of skirling bagpipes, Celtic fiddles, rapid fire percussion, and windswept woodwinds. It's clichéd, but it sounds lovely, never more so than in the slightly lonely sounding "Main Title', the moody "The Workshop", or the vaguely romantic "Ann". Occasionally, the score sounds like one of James Horner's Celtic scores, or the Irish concept albums Mychael and Jeff Danna wrote for Hearts of Space in the 1990s; it's all very pleasant, unassuming stuff, which washes over the listener but never really rises out of the realms of `pretty nice'. Once in a while the true spirit of the Gaelic reel jumps out, such as the opening parts of "Bathtub", the hand-clap led "The Fishermen", or the raucous and unexpectedly Carl Stalling-esque "The Dinner Party", but the single highlight is inarguably the triumphant "Swimming", in which Howard presents a stirring, sweeping theme for the full orchestra and various soloists which truly captures a sense of energy and freedom, friendship and childhood innocence. Some of the album's conclusive cues, notably "There's No Monster", the thrilling "Saving Crusoe", and the stirring pair "The Net" and "The Jump" also feature a great deal of high-emotion composing for the orchestra, and sometimes recall the finale of Basil Poledouris's Free Willy. The album also features a lovely song by Irish vocalist Sinead O'Connor, "Back Where You Belong", and (to continue the trend of confusing geographical specificity) a performance by the legendary traditional Irish band The Chieftains in the conclusive "Water Horse Suite', and while The Water Horse certainly has its moments of great beauty and excitement, it can't really be counted amongst the composer's - or the year's - best.
JNH Is A Genius! Aug 19, 2008
I didn't see the movie, but I bought it just because James Newton Howard wrote it and he does stellar work ALL the time.
I wasn't really enchanted with most of this score. I don't like Celtic music that much or song vocals. Truthfully I haven't finished listening to the whole score, but found cuts #12 Swimming and #19 The End Of The Story to be absolutely worth the price of purchase. It amounts to about 10 minutes of music, but those two pieces are stunning! Like some of you others I too was sorry there weren't more pieces like these.
JNH never fails to give us what we love and expect of him. And JNH, I think your brother Arliss is superb. Don't know why he never became an A-list supporting actor!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Celtic Music Jul 22, 2008
Very easy to listen to. Evokes the atmosphere of the story, but also stands on its own merits. Just wish there was more of it.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Nessie more than a pretty face Jul 05, 2008
Water Horse was a terrific movie for any age. The story is a tale based on the Loch Ness legend, and it delivers the goods! there is also a pet bulldog who practically steals the whole show. Rivaling Disney's special effects the story is rather shallow on plot but delivers that plot with aplomb and sincerity. This is truly a must see DVD.
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