BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Asif Khan (asifahsankhan) If The Adventures of Tintin harkens back to Spielberg's Raiders for inspiration, one could look for precedents for War Horse in E.T. and Saving Private Ryan. It would be truer, though, to say that in War Horse Spielberg harkens back to an earlier cinematic age, creating something more like a Golden Age Cinema epic than any film I've seen in years, the one other notable example being Baz Luhrmann's Australia.Like Australia, War Horse combines the rugged, sprawling beauty of a classic Western with epic wartime saga. Based on the 1982 children's novel by British author Michael Morpurgo as well as the award-winning 2007 stage play, War Horse is a World War I-era tale about an English farm lad named Albert (Jeremy Irvine) who forms a powerful bond with a Thoroughbred horse named Joey that his erratic father Ted (Peter Mullan) impulsively buys at auction.The family can't afford such a fancy animal, and Joey isn't the right sort of animal for farm labor anyway - but Albert's determination and the horse's heart overcome formidable obstacles, and for awhile the future looks brighter. But then Albert's father is obliged to sell Joey to a British officer heading overseas, and Albert, not yet old enough to volunteer, is parted from his beloved beast.The handling of this episode is typical of one of the aspects of War Horse I most appreciate. When an upper-class British officer takes a poor farm boy's beloved horse, convention dictates that the officer be arrogant, cruel, or at least indifferent to the boy's pain. Instead, this officer is an utterly decent and sensitive chap - one who apologizes to the boy, acknowledges that the horse is worth far more than he's able to pay, and gives his word to give the horse back upon his return if he is able to do so.Although it's probably no spoiler to say that the officer's promise doesn't pan out, he does prove his good intentions by going above and beyond the call of duty to keep the boy apprised of Joey's condition. This is typical of the film's humanism, which extends also to Germans, both officers and young boys in uniform.The first World War was a fairly pointless war, but War Horse honors the way that men on all sides shared a common commitment to the same rules of engagement, and a common humanity deeper than their political and military cross purposes. Not that there isn't brutality and horror too - both toward humans and toward animals - though not necessarily too intensely depicted for children who have reached double digits. Still, War Horse doesn't reduce men, or war, to the lowest common denominator.There is a wonderful scene, reminiscent of the 1914 Christmas truce depicted in Joyeux Noel, in which soldiers on opposite sides must come together for a common humanitarian purpose. What is wonderful about the scene is not only why they come together, but how they interact. Even more moving is a later scene in which a supporting character who has almost as much reason to love Joey as Albert makes a supremely difficult sacrifice, one that costs him in a way even more than Albert giving up Joey.Likewise, I appreciate the loyalty mixed with the fury of Joey's mother Rose (Emily Watson) at her weak, drink-prone husband Ted. Though she rightly blames him for bringing the family to the brink of ruin, she simultaneously defends him to their son, putting her husband's weakness in the context of the horrors he faced in the Boer War, and the strength he has shown in not breaking completely. Rose's response to her husband, when he shamefacedly confesses his fear of the day when she will no longer love him, is one of the most beautiful and terrible things I've ever heard: "I may hate you more," she tells him, "but I'll never love you less."For all its gorgeous cinematography and humane themes, War Horse isn't entirely satisfying. The novel told the story from Joey's point of view. A writer can take us inside an animal's head; a live-action film can't do that (except through voiceovers, a risky move). Spielberg doesn't try. Joey is a magnificent, intelligent animal (a little too intelligent at times, as when he comes to the aid of another horse with whom he has bonded), but in the end his liquid gaze is as impenetrable as any animal's. We can feel for him, but he doesn't provide the emotional center that a human protagonist would do.Somehow, though, the sum of the parts are more than the whole. I appreciate the film for its bits and pieces, and for its consummate craft. I appreciate its empathy, its celebration of goodness in all different sorts of people, even in very flawed people. It is a film of a kind we don't see any more, sadly.

nagsaptarshi Let's get down to the point.Spielberg delivered another masterpiece on war with this beauty.Its gripping right from the beginning.The beautiful landscapes, the majestic horse scenes, the emotions in the house of the protagonists all set the tone for an epic from the first half an hour itself.Gradually the movie gets more tense and the grip tightens.What first appeared to be a nice, little movie on human-animal relationship gradually exposes the uglier sides of the war.And in the end, it strikes the right chords in your heart and make you shed tears.A lot indeed. The brutality on the animals towards the last hour or so was so unbearable yet realistic that you can not but clap when it all ends well our protagonist finally meets his friend Joey at the end after series of grueling experiences over a span of few years. Spielberg has never been so emotional in war movies thus far and you actually love the emotions.It is perhaps an emotional roller coaster of two and half hours through different countries, different stages of the war and differential treatments to the animals. The cinematography is brilliant.The same is about the actors.But the real show stopper is the brown beauty- the Horse Joey.You will definitely be a better human being after finishing this movie.Go and watch it if you have not yet done so.Another treasure in the famous trove of Master Spielberg.

Filipe Neto The film basically tells the story of a horse that participated in World War I, like thousands of others. Contrary to many people, I think this movie is not just the story of a horse nor is it focused for people who are fond of horses. It spite of that, it uses the story of a particular horse to focus on a subject we rarely think about: the horse's indispensable help to humans. The horse was essential to our society over the centuries, both at peace and at war. He has been man's best friend, much more useful and important than the dog itself, and the film shows this very well, just like the affective bond that can be built between man and animal. I also liked the way the trenches and the war scenario was rebuilt. Everything seemed quite realistic and according to the historical truth, so I was able to ignore any hypothetical inaccuracies in the details. Jeremy Irvine did very well on the main human character, perfectly up to the challenge, as well as most of the supporting cast. It has been nominated for six Oscars and, although it hasn't won any of them, this is already a prize in itself, it's not?

Miguel Neto Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors in film history, if not the best, made remarkable films as The Schindler List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, Jaws, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones trilogy, it is sad to see this great director is currently making only middling films, I hope he gets back to make great movies, War Horse is only reasonable, has a good soundtrack, impeccable photography, great costumes and a good cast, the script I found a bit lazy, had moments that I found very played, the direction of Spielberg is good more he loses hand after the half, the battle scenes are good technically, more does not excite, the acting is weak, the best actor is the horse, the special effects are good, the pace is kind of slow, the movie is too long, I liked the first 30 minutes after the film worsens, and an hour is well drawn, War Horse is an average movie has positive points, negative points stands out, Spielberg is losing the quality of your old movies. Note 5.0