"Once again, Steven Spielberg created a beautiful, emotional movie for the whole family. "
War Horse opens with the star of the film, Joey the thoroughbred horse, being born. Joey is bought at an auction by Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan), a farmer from England. His son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine), raises the colt and forms an incredible bond that every animal lover or owner can relate. From the beginning of the movie, you can see how special Joey is. He brings the Narracott family back to life after they’ve been plagued by multiple difficulties.
As World War I breaks out, Joey is forced to be sold to the English cavalry as the horse to the Captain of the English Army. This is the start of his incredible journey throughout Europe. He starts off in the English cavalry, is found by the Germans who use him as a carrier horse, then escapes and lives with a French family, and so on.
War Horse is the sequence of stories of all the people who encounter the horse. Wherever Joey goes, he’s able to touch the lives of everyone around him. Spielberg is able to show how one magnificent horse can be a symbol of hope, love, friendship and family.
Jeremy Irvine in Steven Spielberg's War Horse
Every scene is the film was picture perfect. Spielberg has a gift when it comes to shooting epics. Whether it was the sight hundreds of horses running through Europe or the sun setting on the Narracott farm, every shot was truly majestic. The story telling style of War Horse reminded me of Forrest Gump. Joey was the focal point of the film, like Forrest, but he creates many stories with the people he meets in his life.
The individual stories throughout the film are what make the entire story so powerful. Each story was poignant and had a specific purpose for Joey’s life. Yes, the story could be considered corny because everything is movie perfect, but what is so wrong about a happily ever after?
Because there were so many different events, it did make the movie almost three hours. All the stories were relevant, but the length of the whole film was very long. I could understand if some viewers got bored in the middle of the film, especially because most of the events are unlikely to happen in a war setting. The film is unrealistic, but for me, that wasn’t a negative aspect.
If you go into the film expecting a story about World War I, you will be disappointed. War Horse is a movie about hope that happens to be in a war time period.
Benedict Cumberbatch in Steven Spielberg's War Horse
Overall
War Horse was the perfect movie to open on Christmas Day. It may not become a classic like Spielberg’s previous films, but definitely a fantastic movie that the whole family can enjoy.
