Worth a look – War Horse (2011)

Call it the last year on the Mayan calendar or a damn entertaining disaster film that came out 3 years ago, but 2012 is here, and has already started. I had a lot to reflect on from last year. I was even wondering  if I really was THAT harsh at “The Smurfs”, which I put at No. 10 of my Worst Films list of 2011. I mean, I only watched 15 minutes of the damn show…. but it was TERRIBLE!  I could have put something else – like the ‘horror’/action film “Priest”, but then again, I wanted to put a movie that people would have actually SEEN (audience goes “ooooooooooooo”)

Anyhoo, a new year has started and you know what that means: the Golden Globe Awards ceremony is nearby! And that is just the precursor to the MOTHER of all movie award ceremonies….. THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS! 😀   But seriously, what I’m talking about is the 84th Academy Awards. It’s a question as to which film will win the top prize (Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Picture) for the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards respectively. But I can safely say this film that I’m about to review has a HUGE chance of snagging…..I mean, winning….something in at least one of these award ceremonies.

“War Horse” is the second film released last year by the legendary director Steven Spielberg, the first one being the AWESOME 3D animated adventure “The Adventures of Tintin”. It was released on Christmas Day, along with two other films: the Tom Hanks/Sandra Bullock drama “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” and the last worst film of 2011 that I (and many others) fortunately didn’t have the pleasure of seeing:- the alien invasion film “The Darkest Hour”. It is based on the 1982 children’s novel of the same name, which was first adapted in 2007 into a successful (and still playing, by the way) stage play.

The film itself wasn’t hyped as much as “The Adventures of Tintin”, which was a critical and commercial success, just in case you were wondering. But coming from Steven Spielberg, the guy who made MANY great films in his career, “War Horse” is clearly intended to be an Oscar contender. I mean, it’s already nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards: Best Picture – Drama and Best Original Score (by longtime Spielberg collaborator, John Williams). But was “War Horse” a truly great film or just another so-so effort from Steven Spielberg? Let’s see, shall we….

PLOT

Our story is set in pre-WWI England, where we are introduced to Albert Narracott. His father, Ted, purchases a colt at an auction instead of a plough horse for his farm. Albert calls the horse “Joey” and successfully trains him. However, due to financial woes, Ted is forced to sell Joey to the military as World War I breaks out. Albert, who has developed a strong bond with Joey, tries to enlist into the military. He is unsuccessful, since he is too young. Joey is sent to France to serve as a cavalry horse. This begins Joey’s extraordinary journey, as he winds up on both sides of the war between England and Germany, and is also befriended by a French girl named Emilie. But amidst the bullets, bombs and bloodshed that face him, will Joey re-unite with Albert or will he become another casualty in the war?

CHARACTERS

Albert Narracott – Jeremy Irvine

Rose Narracott (Mum) – Emily Watson

Ted Narracott (Dad) – Peter Mullan

Captain Nicholls – Tom Hiddleston

Lyons -David Thewlis

Emilie – Celine Buckens

MY THOUGHTS: Obviously, “War Horse” is more than a WAR movie about a HORSE. It is actually an affectionate tribute to classic cinema. The first act of the film, where Albert bonds with Joey, is reminiscent of “National Velvet” (1944) and “Black Beauty” (1946), two dramas which….you guessed it… are about horses. The scenes which take place inside the trenches echo the classic Stanley Kubrick anti-war film “Paths of Glory” (1957). And the VISUALLY STUNNING conclusion of the film contains elements of the epic “Gone with the Wind” (1939) and the John Ford western “The Searchers” (1956). But even if you haven’t seen these films (which you SHOULD – especially the last three I mentioned), there’s still lots to appreciate in “War Horse”. The story is well-written and well-paced, the music is emotional and powerful, and the performances are great. Amazingly enough, there are no A-list Hollywood actors in this film, which is good since “War Horse” is not about the human actors. It’s about the HORSE! And “Joey” (or whatever his ‘real’ name is) literally carries the weight (emotionally, of course) in the film. There is one scene in which Joey escapes a German tank, and runs through trenches, a muddy battlefield and even BARB WIRE, while avoiding gunfire and explosions. It is one of the best scenes in the whole film and a reason enough to watch “War Horse”. I’m just saying!

SHOULD I SEE THIS FILM? If you love war movies, and you’re expecting lots of bloody, brutal scenes of violence, then you’ll be disappointed with”War Horse”. If you’re the type of person that yells “HORSEEEEEEEE!!!” every time you see a horse on TV, then you should enjoy this film. You’ll probably be crying a lot more than the standard moviegoer though. If you love Steven Spielberg films, then you’ll REALLY enjoy “War Horse”. In my opinion, it is a really good show. But it’s not one of the greatest Spielberg films I’ve ever seen, and it doesn’t have to be. It works as a great book-to-film adaptation, a great war drama and as a great tribute to classic cinema. And that’s good enough for me. “War Horse” is definitely worth a look.

MY RATING – 3 1/2 out of 5 stars (“Worth a look”)

– Matthew