War Horse is one of those movies that has been talked about for months. People were considering it Oscar bait before it was even finished. As I got closer and closer to seeing War Horse, I was starting to realize that my mind was already made up about it. I figured that I would like it, but hate that I liked it because it’s blatantly Oscar bait. Since I hate not going to a movie with an open mind, I tried to clear away any thoughts or opinions and give the new Spielberg epic a decent chance. In the end, War Horse is a great film, but in comparison to Spielberg’s previous work, I was slightly underwhelmed.
War Horse follows the story of a horse named Joey. His extraordinary journey begins with being raised and trained by a young man, Albert. When World War I starts, Albert’s father sells the horse to the army. From that point, Joey makes his way to all sides of the war and changes the lives of many different people.
The story is quite touching, but it doesn’t have the narrative force that I’m used to seeing in many of Spielberg’s classics. The story didn’t drive into me. This is sort of old fashion storytelling, and that’s when it’s really important to pack it with the kind of emotional power that makes you go “wow” at the end. I’m sad to say that I didn’t experience that in War Horse. It told a great story, but it didn’t pull me in as much as it should have. I’m very good at responding to movies emotionally; I hardly hold back. Only one story was able to really pull at my heart strings, and that is Joey’s time with a grandfather and his granddaughter in the French countryside. There is another scene that many say is brilliant, and normally I would consider that as well, but it reminded of something I saw in a movie before. There’s a part when Joey unintentionally causes a truce between the British and Germans. It reminds me so much of a movie called Joyeux Noel, which came out a few years ago, that it was hard for me to fully appreciate that scene.
The film was well acted, but none of the performances were truly exceptional. Niels Arestrup, who plays the French farmer, was my favorite performance of the film. Jeremy Irvine was genuinely sweet as Albert too. Emily Watson as Albert’s mother was also a joy to watch on screen. The music was a little disappointing. I love John Williams. The man is a legend, and there were maybe two or three pieces of music in the movie that were excellent. But the rest didn’t seem to flow with the film as well as it should have. The war scenes and sequences are incredibly directed, which comes as no surprise because I totally believe that no one can direct a war scene as well as Spielberg. However, the real stunner of the film is the cinematography. War Horse is a beautiful film; the cinematography is such a pleasing sight to the eyes. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is a definite Oscar contender for his work in this film.
Despite some of its hiccups, War Horse is a crowd pleaser. I can’t say that it wasn’t even a little heartwarming. It’s a great family film that I’m sure many will enjoy immensely. And if you’ve decided to not see the Feel-Bad Movie of Christmas, I would say that War Horse is still a good bet to check out during the holiday weekend.
War Horse hits theaters Christmas Day, December 25th.
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