Parents' Guide to

The Legend of Longwood

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Mythical horse adventure has some peril, spooky scenes.

Movie PG 2015 99 minutes
The Legend of Longwood Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

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
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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?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

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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