Incident at Loch Ness

PG-13

Released Sep 17, 2004

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

Adventure

Fantasy

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Sci-Fi

List

63%

46 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Believing that the Loch Ness monster is a figment of the collective psyche of the Scottish people, famed avant-garde film director Werner Herzog leads a crew to Scotland, accompanied by producer Zak Penn, to make a movie about the myth, and not the monster. However, Penn has also arranged for a second film production team, led by director John Bailey, to make a documentary about the renowned and sometimes difficult Herzog. While on a boat in the middle of the lake, something unexpected happens.

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Critics Consensus

Incident at Loch Ness will undoubtedly be of greatest interest to Herzog fans, but for those in on the inside jokes, it delivers on its weirdly unique premise.

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Sol R

Zak Penn's writing is the weak link here, the suspension of disbelief towards the situation on the boat is not believable at all, Herzog and the other experienced film pros would have called his hoax in seconds. The character Zak Penn in this mockumentary is like a child among adults, no way he would have given so many chances IRL, because his plan is too easy to see through and he does a bad job at keeping up the lie.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Jean S

A mockumentary depends on the comic improv skills of its ensemble. These were terrible comic actors. It was watching actors, act like they were in mockumentary. They leaned on repetitive and predictable mockumentary tropes and did not have the chops or self-editing to pull off the film within a film gag.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/25/22

Full Review

Milo M

The Incident at Loch Ness is very funny. I loved the bit where Werner said and up came the sonar operator and I thought that she didn't look like one. I would recommend this to anyone.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/02/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Just like the film-within-the film that falls apart, Werner Herzog's mockumentary (no need to elaborate on plot, surely) doesn't quite come to the surface either. Some amusing moments but it could have been a lot funnier; Herzog and crew find themselves stalked by the monster with little surprise and shock considering they were intent on analysing the 'myth' of the Loch and, despite some hair-raising close encounters, almost forget about it by the story's end. Entertaining but, as Nessie skeptics would argue, empty.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A load of fun that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting and funny meta, in-joke mockumentary about the shooting of a documentary in which Herzog and crew hunt the Loch Ness Monster that eventually becomes a parody of itself and the film we are watching becomes the film within the film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Zak Penn

Director

Werner Herzog

Self

Gabriel Beristain

Self

Russell Williams

Self

Michael Karnow

Self

Robert O'Meara

Self

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Mildly comical for those familiar with (and fond of) adventurous German auteur Werner Herzog.

Rated: B-

Aug 9, 2007

Full Review

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

[Penn's] oafish 'character' only manages a few guffaws and a handful of chuckles, and his movie is the same.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 3, 2004

Full Review

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

We realize with increasing dismay that Loch Ness is a movie about the bald, weaselly Penn and not about Herzog at all.

Nov 29, 2004

Full Review

Dread Central

Incident at Loch Ness is like a bizarre crossover of "The Surreal Life 3", The Blair Witch Project, "Project Greenlight" and a less-deadpan Best in Show.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 10, 2006

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Reaches only monumental levels of dumbness and lame comical moments.

Rated: C

Oct 3, 2006

Full Review

Bill Gibron

PopMatters

...Herzog and Penn don't challenge [the Loch Ness] myth. They are out to create their own. And they almost pull it off.

Rated: B

Jul 29, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Believing that the Loch Ness monster is a figment of the collective psyche of the Scottish people, famed avant-garde film director Werner Herzog leads a crew to Scotland, accompanied by producer Zak Penn, to make a movie about the myth, and not the monster. However, Penn has also arranged for a second film production team, led by director John Bailey, to make a documentary about the renowned and sometimes difficult Herzog. While on a boat in the middle of the lake, something unexpected happens.

Director: Zak Penn
Producer: Thomas Augsberger, Jay Rifkin
Screenwriter: Zak Penn
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Eden Rock Media
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $36.8K
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

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