War Horse

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, War
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A boy (Jeremy Irvine) is heartbroken when his beloved horse is sold to officers fighting in World War I.

Review:

Tim: War Horse is an interesting movie. I have to admit that I just didn't get the appeal of the movie, initially. It was about a horse in a war, that much I got. Why I should care, though, wasn't apparent to me. However, this is a big, serious movie from Steven Spielberg, so I figured it was worth seeing. As expected, Spielberg delivers an exceptionally well made movie. It surprised me in many ways. However, at the end of the day, the movie still has some limits, and those fall short of greatness. This is a very good movie, but it's not among Spielberg's best.

The film is fascinating because the movie is really about seeing World War I through the eyes of a horse. This is a special horse, and we're introduced to him as he connects with a boy in the English countryside. Spielberg is in fine form here, giving us a reason to care about the characters and even the horse. The movie gets off to a strong start. However, just as we start getting comfortable, the horse changes hands. We're introduced to a new owner and the horse enters the war. The remainder of the story involves the horse changing hands, and with each new owner, we're exposed to different aspects of the war. When you put all these stories together, you get a surprisingly well-rounded view of WWI. That's impressive.

What I did not like was how we didn't get a real protagonist in the film that continued throughout the movie (besides the titular horse). We get to know Jeremy Irvine, and he does a good job of portraying that youthful innocence that existed before the horrors of war swept across the European continent. His connection with his horse is believable and heartfelt. The first time the horse changes hands is a little jarring. We get used to the characters, and suddenly, we are introduced to new ones. Luckily, the second owner is Tom Hiddleston, who is such a terrific choice. He is honorable and proud, and it helps ease us into the continual disruptions. This works because Hiddleston is really good. Unfortunately, other characters we're introduced to aren't all nearly as good. There are some long stretches of the movie without a human to really care about at all. That hurt the movie a bit.

When I look back on the movie, it doesn't really seem like a whole lot. However, Spielberg takes care of the audience as we watch the film. He is such an experienced, incredible director that he knows the exact notes to hit at the right time. The movie is well paced and moves quickly. The movie is way, way too long at 146 minutes, but Spielberg moves it along quickly enough that we don't often feel the length. There's only a few moments when the movie drags a bit.

In the end, War Horse is definitely a better movie than I expected. There's some real emotion in the film, and by the end, you have a satisfying series of perspectives that allow us to really get a good sense for how World War I impacted a whole cross section of different people. Spielberg gives us a very good film here. However, the movie should have been better. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards- Best Art Direction (sure), Best Cinematography (definitely), Best Original Score (I can see it), Best Sound Editing (sure), Best Sound Mixing (why not?), and Best Picture (whaaaaat?). I'm not surprised that it didn't win a single Oscar. This is a good movie, but it doesn't have enough emotional punch to really stay with you after it concludes. I liked this movie, but I wanted to love it.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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