MEE-SHEE: THE WATER GIANT

UK, 2005, 95 minutes, Colour.
Bruce Greenwood, Daniel Magder, Joel Tobeck, Rena Owen, Phyllida Law, Luanne Gordon, Tom Jackson, Joe Pingue, Shane Rimmer.
Directed by John Henderson.

When you hear that there is a mysterious creature in a Canadian lake, you can’t help thinking of the Loch Ness Monster. (And then we discover that director, John Henderson, directed Loch Ness.) Almost immediately, we learn that this creature, Mee- Shee is benevolent and saves a helicopter pilot and passenger from drowning.

When you discover that a young boy is disappointed that his father is breaking a promise to go with him on holiday because he has to go to the lake to recover an expensive oil drill, you can’t help thinking that the boy is going to find Mee- Shee and they are going to become friends.

Of course, they do.

But, this is a genial story of a father (Bruce Greenwood) bonding with his son (Daniel Megdar) and the son bonding, with the help of a young Indian girl, with the creature. There are some genial folks at the lake: the local Indian, Custer, with a sardonic sense of humour, the owner of a dredge on the lake, an attractive female environmental inspector, and the largish, jovial assistant to the father. There is also Mrs Coogan (Phyllida Law) as the strict but genial housekeeper.

And there are two nasty villains who are after the drill.

Unfortunately, for the dramatic impact, Mee Shee and family look like animatronic sea creatures and rubbery rather than real – a bit like giant ETs.

However, leaving that aside if one can, the New Zealand scenery standing in for Canada is stark and attractive and the story very ‘family-oriented’.

1.An entertaining film for families, for young audiences?

2.The New Zealand locations for Canada? The beauty, the lakes, the mountains and cliffs? The Canadian setting? The search for oil? Conservation? The musical score?

3.The special effects for Mee-Shee? A kind of ET (with a Walter Matthau face, according to the director)? The appearances, movement, action? The multiple Mee- Shee creatures?

4.The opening, the helicopter, the crash, Mee- Shee helping the pilot and passenger survive? The introduction to Mee-Shee? Crazy Norma on the shore? Her mystical connection with Mee- Shee?

5.Sean and Mac, father and son, the dead mother? The plan for the holiday? The interruption? Mac and his disappointment with his father? Sean and the decision? Taking Mac with him? The flight to Canada? The mission to recover the drill?

6.Life in the town? Remote, quiet? Custer and the Indian background? His laconic remarks? Pawnee, her age, her love for her father, not wanting to go to the city, encounters with Mac? Mrs Coogan and her house, the comment about Mary Poppins? The way she ran the household? Anderson and his boat?

7.Mac, settling in, exploring, falling down the hole, the encounter with Mee- Shee? Crazy Norma telling him to keep quiet about it? His return, the salmon sandwiches, meeting Pawnee? Down another hole? Seeing Mee- Shee? Finding Mee- Shee friendly? Mac and his later returning, telling the story to Laura? Mee- Shee with the harpoon, his taking it out, the blood?

8.The villains, sinister, their plans, their equipment, the boat? Sean and Custer going down, recovering the drill? The mechanics and the difficulties? The torpedo, the sabotage? The confrontation between the villains and Sean?

9.Mac, the story, telling his father, his father’s disbelief, his father being sorry? Custer and his believing his daughter? Laura and her intervention – after exercising her rights as the environmental inspector? Neilds and his being the assistant, city man, his comments?

10.The build-up to the confrontation, the villains and their attack, Mee- Shee and his destroying them? The boat going up in flames? Their taking Mac, tying him to the buoy, his father coming for him, Mee- Shee freeing him? The happy reconciliation?

11.The various creatures, their appearance, Mee- Shee defending his friends? The possibility of Sean losing his job, staying in the area with Mac, the possibilities with Laura? Crazy Norma and her being happy? Custer and his daughter? Neilds and his agreeing with the plans?

12.A pleasing film, a fantasy like Loch Ness, the environmental issues?