The Legend of Longwood

Movie review by Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media
The Legend of Longwood Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 11+

Mythical horse adventure has some peril, spooky scenes.

PG 2015 99 minutes
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Legend of Longwood is a live-action film about a young American girl transplanted to Ireland. The story involves horses, a mysterious black knight who has haunted the countryside for 300 years, and a nefarious modern-day plot to steal land from an earl at any cost. Some of the scenes are spooky with menacing images: the black knight racing through the forest on his black horse, several raging fires, and animals and the heroine in peril. Several deaths are important to the plot, though none occur on-screen. One heroic horse and one kindly stable hand are severely injured in accidents and hover on the brink of death. Definitely best-suited for kids who clearly understand make-believe action and violence, and it will be particularly appealing for those who love modern-day mythological tales and horse stories. Bits of Irish dialect may be difficult for American audiences to understand at times.

Community Reviews

Melissa J.
Melissa J. Adult
September 21, 2016
age 10+

Disappointed

Usually Commonsense ratings are pretty reliable, but the one I read for this movie had me thinking we were going to see a nice Nancy Drew-style adventure/mystery for kids where a young girl finds out more about her town and uncovers answers to a mysterious legend. What we got instead was a "oogy boogy" ghost tale with elements of witchcraft, spirit, amulets, and the like. It was disconnected, poorly developed, corny halloween-y foolishness with no redeeming moral message. The lead character is sneaky, rudely sassy, and disobedient and get's herself into all sorts of dangerous situations including breaking and entering, jumping in front of a moving vehicle, lying, theft of someone else's property, punching other children, and participating in celtic rituals-with nary a moment of her being called to task for it. The decision making of the child characters is unwise and the adult characters are made to look cartoonishly stupid, evil, or, in the case of the lead girl's mother, oblivious. Basically, this movie had little or no redeeming value aside from the beautiful setting/visual effects.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

An unexpected inheritance from an unlikely relative sends Mickey Miller (Lucy Morton), her mom (Thekla Reuten), and her little brother to Ireland in THE LEGEND OF LONGWOOD. Mickey, still hoping they'll receive word of her father, long missing on an expedition in Egypt, and quite content with her life as it is in New York, wants none of it. When the family arrives in Longwood, Ireland, the strangeness of this rural land and the coldness of her new schoolmates make Mickey even more unhappy. It's only when she encounters a curious but gentle old woman living in a centuries-old castle with a mysterious past and six startlingly white horses that Mickey begins to see some possibilities opening to her. The heroine's adventurous nature and her love for the animals find her not only unraveling the town's legend but also facing off against two sinister and murderous scoundrels who want to turn the beautiful village into a money-making resort.

Is It Any Good?

Lucy Morton gives an especially likable and solid performance as young Mickey. In addition, confident directing by Lisa Mulcahy, beautiful visuals of the Irish countryside, and shots of magnificent horses keep this often predictable and sometimes too-complex story watchable. The story is filled with familiar elements: the adjustments that must be made when a child moves to a new home in an unfamiliar community; protecting wildlife from the evils of commerce; encountering a conniving and evil villainess who is transparent to our heroine but not to others; plus, standing up to assorted bullies. Then, when all the mythical elements are added -- an unsolved 300-year-old mystery of dead and lost children, a hidden journal, an exotic amulet that goes missing -- the plot becomes hard to untangle. But Mickey, and hopefully an audience of legend lovers, is game to try.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the appeal of legends, myths, and fairy tales. Why do you think the kids in a movie are more apt to believe in such stories than the grown-ups?

  • How did Mickey Miller handle the bullies she met when she came to Ireland? What did that moment on the bus tell you about Mickey's character and what we might expect from her during her adventure?

  • Think about the scenes that show the origin of the Black Knight and the legend. How do the filmmakers use special effects to differentiate past and present? Was it effective?

Movie Details

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