Loch Ness (1996)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

John Henderson

Writer (WGA):

John Fusco (written by)

Release Date:

20 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

for 1500 years one legend remains undiscovered undisturbed until now LOCH NESS

Plot:

A scientist tries to prove the existence of the Loch Ness monster.

Plot Keywords:

Loch Ness Monster | Cryptozoology | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ted Danson	...	Dempsey
Joely Richardson	...	Laura
Ian Holm	...	Water Bailiff
Harris Yulin	...	Dr. Mercer
James Frain	...	Adrian Foote
Keith Allen	...	Gordon Shoals
Nick Brimble	...	Andy Maclean
Kirsty Graham	...	Isabel
Harry Jones	...	Wee Wullie
Philip O'Brien	...	Dr. Abernathy
Joseph Greig	...	Guideon
John Dair	...	Macleish
John Verea	...	Tow Truck Driver
Debora Weston	...	Dr. Hunter (as Deborah Weston)
Wolf Kahler	...	Dr. Muller

MPAA:

Rated PG for language, mild sensuality and a fist fight.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Finland:K-11 | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

The film was originally intended for theatrical release. However it aired on network television in the U.S. before it was released in theaters.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When you see the train to London passing from the outside, the carriages are the Mk3 type introduced in the early 1980's. But when Dr. Dempsey and the Water Bailiff are talking inside the carriage, the shape of the carriage windows are clearly that of the Mk1 carriages, rarely, if ever, used with Mk3s.

Quotes:

Dr. Jonathan Dempsey: The only thing I got from my grandmother was bad eyes.
Laura McFetridge: Oh no, I think you have nice e...
Dr. Jonathan Dempsey: Uh, what I meant was that I'm far-sighted.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frank Skinner Live in Birmingham (1998) (V)

not bad

There's nothing earth shattering about Loch Ness, which stars a perhaps miscast Ted Danson as a disgraced doctor who has a chance at redemption by disproving the Loch Ness monster; I didn't think this was relevant anymore, but I digress. I do give Danson credit for taking on a different persona other than Sam Malone, with or without the hairpiece, as he travels to Scotland to debunk the myth regarding Nessie. Natutally, he meets up with a younger woman who runs a local inn and you just know there'll be a forced love angle between the 2, even though she's about 20 years younger than the doctor. I really didn't need the sexual tension between the characters, rather more should have been dedicated to the beautiful Scottish atmosphere and the monster itself, which eventually we get a glimpse of. Again, I was hoping for something more than a Disney special effect, but the scene when we actually do get to see not 1, but 2 monsters is done nicely, and I especially liked how the little girl knew of the monster's hideout, and had to convince the doctor that Nessie was in fact, alive and real.

I was disappointed that the older guy, the water bailiff, got off Scot(no pun)free even though he tried to bully the doctor off the water by nearly sinking his ship. Lastly, I'm supposed to believe that the doctor finally resists going public with his new knowledge of the creature because of what this old guy says to him on the train. Suffice to say, the conclusion was predictable but left me unsatisfied.

There are some good moments in this film, like the interactions between characters and nice shots of Scotland too.