MovieChat Forums > Loch Ness (1996) Discussion > This is my yard stick of comparison when...

This is my yard stick of comparison when I see a movie which bores me


Did anyone else find this movie mind numbingly boring?

I remember seeing it way back in 1996 when it first came out and it was the first film I've ever wanted to walk out of before the end.

It's not that I can pinpoint anything particularly terrible and that's the problem, it's so bland that nothing leaves even the remotest impression on me. I mean even a very bad film can have some redeeming features but with this I find nothing!

Anyone else feel like that?

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If you can lock on to the film's potent subtext it's not boring at all...

Danson's character has given up on love in the aftermath of a divorce; he's also given up on his life's work, his dream. He's a laughing stock in the scientific community. Consider his powerful statement to his partner:

"I'm a joke. I'm the guy who chases looney tunes and you think I don't wanna find something out there? If I nailed a dinosaur in Loch Ness I would be vindicated a thousand times over. I would have it all back and more. But it's not gonna happen. There's nothing down there, there's nothing up in British Columbia, there's nothing unexplained flying around the skies at night. That's just a wish list to make us feel like there's something more to life than the $#*% we got stuck with."

The struggle he's going through is real and most can relate to it. We may not be looking for the Loch Ness monster, but we all have dreams; we all hope to discover love in some manner; we all hope to find meaning in life. Unless, of course, we've given up, like Danson's character. Yet, even then, in the blackest pit of anguish & despair there's hope.

There are two general views on life: (1.) That life and the universe are one big meaningless accident and you're just an insignificant bug that will soon be squashed out of existence & memory; and (2.) that there's an intelligent design to the universe and, although it's somehow "fallen," there IS meaning, love, hope and purpose, even if we are presently unable to fully comprehend it.

The film addresses the clash of these two opposing views. We've all experienced the conflict of these two positions within our OWN hearts; it's the clash of flesh and spirit. On the one hand, we WANT to believe the latter position, but life keeps dishing out so much crap that we are seriously tempted to give in to the former.

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This is the struggle Danson's character faces in the story. He's given up; he's stumbling in the darkenss; he's just going through the motions to exist. His smile is mostly a facade.

The little girl is a key factor in his deliverance. She is able to see things as they truly are, including beyond the areas of normal perception. Danson says seeing is believing, but the little girl insists that believing in unseen reality is more important than physically seeing, if you know what I mean.

To some people this probably sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo; and I could see why they might not appreciate it.

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