A family flick mostly forgotten by today (and mostly for good reason); Magic in the Water was made seemingly to take up space in theatres until better films were released. Combining intriguing elements like a rumored sea creature living in the nearby lake with other components like father and child relationships, one may have high hopes for this one. Sadly, most will be disappointed by the long stretches of boringness leading to the dull conclusion.
This promising yet dismal premise finds young Ashley (played by a charmingly cute Sarah Wayne in her only film to date) joining her brother and father on a vacation to a lake near British Columbia where legend has it that a sea creature named "Orky" inhabits the water. The young girl becomes officially convinced this legend is true when she leaves some cookies on a doc and they are magically eaten the next day. Coincidence???
Whether this premise may be considered fascinating or entirely too corny will depend on the viewer's tolerance for straight up absurdity. Yes it is a fantasy, but this seemingly is just a copycat job of earlier (and better) Steven Spielberg movies. Some viewers may look deeper into the fact that the father and daughter relationship factor seems to be the prime focus, but the job does not quite get done here. An appealing cast does its best, but they've all surely done better projects before and after (save for Wayne).
Though some sentimental viewers may remember this one fondly (if they were a VERY undemanding youngster), few will argue that there is nothing here that has not been done better in other family/fantasy films. One would think that a film with a good cast, attractive filming locations and overall good intentions would produce better results. Don't get your hopes up, folks!