Release Date: December 25, 2011
My Rating:
(click here for more info on my rating scale)
War Horse is entertainment for the heart and soul, and, in my opinion, it's definitely one of Spielberg’s best films to date.
I rarely go to the theater. However, in January, I went go see War Horse in the theater. I bought my ticket and a soda, and I walked into the theater, and sat down in the back row towards the middle. I’ve never read the book that the movie is based on, but I was hoping to like the movie, and I ended up loving it. Steven Spielberg has released some good movies in the past; Indiana Jones (the original trilogy; the fourth was a bit weak), Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List – just to name a few. He has declined a bit during the past few years. Now, he’s risen back up triumphantly with War Horse. War Horse is entertainment for the heart and soul, and, in my opinion, definitely one of Spielberg’s best films to date.
War Horse is the story of an elegant brown stallion, set during the time of World War I. A farmer buys this horse, and his son, Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine), calls him Joey. Albert raises, trains, and develops a strong friendship with the horse. However, as WWI starts, Joey is sold into cavalry. At this point, Albert is too young to enlist in the army and therefore stay with Joey, so for a while, the movie focuses only on the experiences of the horse, in and out of the line of battle. Will they be reunited? (I think you know the answer to that – the movie is pretty predictable.) I won’t give away anything else about the story, but there are emotions, tears, etc. (even a few laughs here and there) throughout the film.
The story is not original, and it’s pretty clichéd and predictable. However, it works very well. I personally found it overall to be interesting, entertaining, gripping, and emotional. The first forty-five minutes or so of the film are a bit slow, and it’s the weakest part of the film. However, like I said, it does establish the essential relationships we need for the rest of the movie, particularly between Albert and Joey. After this first act ends and the second act begins, things start picking up – pace emotion, etc. – and it gets much better. John Williams has returned along with Spielberg, and has composed a very good score for the movie, as he always does.
Visually, the film is amazing, too. The cinematography and visual and special effects are very good, and really contribute to the emotion and tone of the film. The landscapes are very good, and so are the war effects. There are some action scenes that get pretty violent and gory, and the effects are really good here too, but it's still not extreme enough to go above a PG-13 rating (I'm not saying that's a bad thing, though). A couple of particular noteworthy examples of the great visuals are the opening and closing shots, especially the latter. And like I said above, these visuals really contribute strongly to the emotion, narrative, and tone of the film.
War Horse is the story of an elegant brown stallion, set during the time of World War I. A farmer buys this horse, and his son, Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine), calls him Joey. Albert raises, trains, and develops a strong friendship with the horse. However, as WWI starts, Joey is sold into cavalry. At this point, Albert is too young to enlist in the army and therefore stay with Joey, so for a while, the movie focuses only on the experiences of the horse, in and out of the line of battle. Will they be reunited? (I think you know the answer to that – the movie is pretty predictable.) I won’t give away anything else about the story, but there are emotions, tears, etc. (even a few laughs here and there) throughout the film.
The story is not original, and it’s pretty clichéd and predictable. However, it works very well. I personally found it overall to be interesting, entertaining, gripping, and emotional. The first forty-five minutes or so of the film are a bit slow, and it’s the weakest part of the film. However, like I said, it does establish the essential relationships we need for the rest of the movie, particularly between Albert and Joey. After this first act ends and the second act begins, things start picking up – pace emotion, etc. – and it gets much better. John Williams has returned along with Spielberg, and has composed a very good score for the movie, as he always does.
Visually, the film is amazing, too. The cinematography and visual and special effects are very good, and really contribute to the emotion and tone of the film. The landscapes are very good, and so are the war effects. There are some action scenes that get pretty violent and gory, and the effects are really good here too, but it's still not extreme enough to go above a PG-13 rating (I'm not saying that's a bad thing, though). A couple of particular noteworthy examples of the great visuals are the opening and closing shots, especially the latter. And like I said above, these visuals really contribute strongly to the emotion, narrative, and tone of the film.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I'm glad I saw it in the theater. Despite its predictability and unoriginality (for which it gets quite a bit of hate on IMDb), I really found the story to be compelling and emotional. Personally, I don't think a movie has to be original to be good, as long as it's structured well, properly paced, and has sufficient heart, character, story, and emotion to make it a worthwile experience. The best case is when a movie touchs my heart and soul in some way. A good example is The Shawshank Redemption - predictable and unoriginal, yet it really touched my heart and soul, and I found the story compelling, and I loved the movie. Ultimately, whether or not a movie is good is a matter of personal opinion, not fact. For me, personally, I have to personally have a positive overall experience. This movie meets all these criteria well, at least for me. War Horse touched my heart and soul very strongly.
DreamWorks and Touchstone present
A film directed by Steven Spielberg
Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo
Music by John Williams
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence
DreamWorks and Touchstone present
A film directed by Steven Spielberg
Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo
Music by John Williams
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence
