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Parents' Guide to

The Secret of Loch Ness

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Profanity, violence, mature themes mar Loch Ness fantasy.

Movie PG 2009 90 minutes
The Secret of Loch Ness Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 5+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 2+

Rip-off of The Secret Life Of Pets

age 2+

Too scary for the youngest of kids

You are probably wondering why I put 2 and up if it’s too scary for the youngest kids. It’s because my infant was terrified while watching it. Age 2 and up should be fine. Also, if I was reviewing for myself, it would be five stars. But my child was scared, so it is one star.

This title has:

Too much violence

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (6 ):

This may look like a boyhood fantasy adventure about tracking the Loch Ness monster, but kids in the market for a closer look at this world-famous nonexistent plesiosaur will be disappointed. There are only a few blips of the monster on-screen (mostly shown in menacing water ripples), and the rest of the film gets lost in a separate plot with an eerily Gollum-like creature (the one from The Lord of the Rings) protecting ancient treasure. There are some heavy themes here with the boy's eventual discovery of the circumstances of his birth and his mother's scattered dishonesty (none of which is ever adequately addressed), and other assorted violence, which includes some gunshots and lots of abandoned loose ends.

The effects are subpar, and the overdubbed, revoiced English by separate actors adds an off-kilter, emotionless quality to the proceedings. It's too heavy for very young kids and doesn't deliver what it promises for anyone interested in cryptozoology.

Movie Details

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