War Horse

This winter, Steven Spielberg actually had two films open against each other. The Adventures of Tintin opened on Wednesday, December 21, and then War Horse opened on Sunday, December 25. Both are being touted as Oscar worthy films. Both look good in their trailers. Can they both meet the hype? Spielberg is a solid filmmaker. That is a fact, not an opinion. He has had his missteps (Indiana Jones 4, War of the Worlds), but he has also had more than his share of hits (Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Jaws, Schindler’s List).

War Horse is based on a book of the same title by Michael Morpurgo. The book has already been adapted into a successful stage play. So, adapting it into a film seems like a logical step. The writers have quite an odd resume. Richard Curtis wrote the Mr. Bean show and movies, while Lee Hall wrote the excellent film, and current Broadway sensation, Billy Elliot.

War Horse is an interesting film. It reminds me a lot of the Jack London’s classic, The Call of the Wild. Both tell an interesting story from the perspective of an animal. War Horse follows the life of Joey, the horse, from his birth, to his sale to the Narracott family, to his sale to Captain Nicholls at the start of World War I, and his journey through the war. The film looks and feels like a film made back in the 1940’s with its lighting, blocking, dialog, and sets.

War Horse starts off strong. It shows Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) purchasing the horse to be a work horse on his farm. Joey is clearly not a working horse like the Clydesdales that were also up for auction that same day. When Ted returns home, his wife Rose (Emily Watson) gives him an earful, while his son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) takes to Joey right away. As Albert trains him, it becomes obvious that this is not a normal horse.

Then, World War I breaks out, and the movie stalls. When WWI reaches England, Ted is forced to sell Joey to Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) to ride into battle. Again, it is shown that Joey is not your typical horse. Poor Joey is then captured by the evil German’s, escapes to meet a nice young German girl and her grandfather, recaptured, re-escapes, and continues on his journey. He is the Forrest Gump of horses. Each chapter of Joey’s life brings in a handful of short lived characters. They come and go as he changes masters. This bogs the story down, as some stories are short, some are pointless, and some drag on longer than necessary.

Spielberg crafted a classic looking film, but it starts to feel like we are being dragged through the trenches of WWI, with Joey. There are a few scenes that were amazing. Joey’s run in no-man’s-land between the German trench and Allied trench is visually stunning. The scene following is as touching and humorous as it is emotional.

The real problem lies in the excessive running time. A few trims here and there, and this 146 minute film could be more manageable. While it is a well crafted film, nothing else really stands out. War Horse possesses no stand out performance from its plethora of actors. While I did not find this movie extremely emotional, the lady next to me sounded like every breath might be her last. She sobbed her eyes out, blew her nose loudly, and blubbered like a fool. Spielberg’s other holiday entry is better. War Horse is by no means a bad film. It is just not as great as one would expect from the man behind E.T.

RATING: 7/10