After watching Legend of Longwood, it's kind of strange to note that there hasn't been an honest-to-goodness family adventure film that was actually live-action in quite some time. In that sense, Legend of Longwood is a refreshing throwback to the kind of movies that were so popular in the '90s.
Lucy Morton is Micky Miller, a precocious (when aren't they?) teenager who's moved from New York to rural Ireland with her brother and mother (Dutch actress Thekla Reuten) to start a new life. Micky's a keen horse rider, so when she discovers a group of wild horses on the grounds of a large castle, she's naturally drawn to them. However, the horses are under the care of Lady Thyrza, played by English character actress Miriam Margoyles. The lady then explains the so-called Legend of Longwood and the significance of the horses and a mysterious Black Knight who roams the grounds of the castle.
Director Lisa Mulcahy's very much aware that the film is targeted towards pre-teens, making the story as straightforward and unfettered as possible. The performances by Thekla Reuten and Miriam Margoyles are thankfully understated, whilst Morton is more than a little carried away in some places. It's not a major complaint as she's bright enough to hold your attention. Likewise, the visuals and special effects are flashy but smartly deployed so that it's not necessarily overbearing.
Where the film begins to falter is between the second and third act when Micky begins to investigate the legend and a plot to turn the castle into a gawdy monstrosity comes to the fore. The characterisations of the villains are quite hammy and overblown, but you have to recognise that it's very much a children's adventure rather than a straight adventure film. While the script may be clunky in places, Legend of Longwood has a lot of heart to it that makes it more affecting than you'd expect.