War Horse (2011)
Spielberg directed war-drama, based on both the children's novel and its stage adaptation, about a British lad who sets out on a journey to rescue his horse from the battlefields of World War I.
Albert's (newcomer Jeremy Irvine) pet horse and best friend, Joey, is sold to the calvary at the outbreak of the first World War. Heartbroken, Albert heads to France to find his friend, despite being too young to enlist in the British army. The film follows Joey's journey across Europe and through the war, as well as Albert's search.
Also stars Tom Hiddleston (Thor), Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock) and Oscar-nominee Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves).
- Director:
- Steven Spielberg ('Jaws', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'E.T', 'Jurassic Park', 'Schindler's List', 'Saving Private Ryan')
- Writer:
- Richard CurtisLee Hall
- Cast:
- Benedict CumberbatchDavid ThewlisTom HiddlestonEmily WatsonJeremy IrvinePeter Mullan
Reviews & comments
Steven, Steven, Steven :(
Mister Spielberg is sadly going down the same road as Mister Lucas by pouring millions to produce disappointing results. His demise began with the last Indiana Jones movie and continues with this. How it was nominated for Best Picture is beyond me! There are much better films that weren't even nominated that are far superior to this film. I sincerely hope...
I don't understand all the negative reviews!
I am stumped by all the poor reviews - I loved this movie! I can only think that the reviewers are all die-hard Spielberg fans and that this movie didn't meet up to their pre-conceived ideas. I found it very moving and it is a beautiful story. The only negative comment I would make is that there appeared to be a mixture of "styles" - we went...
Horsesh*t
I'm a huge Spielberg fan. I even loved AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. But then again, HOOK made me vomit; ALWAYS made me want to gouge out my eyes with a rusty spoon and AMISTAD was just plain dull. Sadly, WAR HORSE joins these three as one of the Berg's misfires. Sappy, soppy, silly - and that's not even because it's hero is, um, a horse. Great cast,...
2 words. Steven Speilberg.
Once again Speilberg has got it horribly wrong. Even the English village locations looked like Hollywood backlots. Emily Watson's talents were sorely underused and what was Benedict Cumberbatch doing in this clunker? He must have been fooled into thinking this was going to be a WW1 story. Only one good scene in this.Don't bother going for it.
Bore Horse
What on earth has happened to Steven Spielberg? Despite large amounts of negativity surrounding War Horse, I was firmly of the opinion that anything the legendary director had to offer was worth taking a chance on and seeing in the cinema. Now I'm not so convinced. After not releasing a film since 2008's widely derided Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the...
Variety
pressThis beautifully composed picture brings a robust physicality to tried-and-true source material, but falls short of the sustained narrative involvement and emotional drive its resolutely old-fashioned storytelling demands.
Total Film
pressWar Horse shows Spielberg back in the saddle, in full command of story, setting and characters.
The Guardian
pressIn the end, while you can't doubt Spielberg's commitment to telling a putatively heartwarming and emotion-wringing tale, War Horse is just too calculated to do what he wants to do.
Roger Ebert
pressWar Horse is bold, not afraid of sentiment and lets out all the stops in magnificently staged action sequences.
Newshub
pressWar Horse left me strangely and definitively unmoved on every level, with a cheesiness factor alienating me from the characters and robbing me of any connection with the story.
Hollywood Reporter
pressA grandly made, tear-jerking film for all audiences, the way Hollywood used to make them.
Entertainment Weekly
pressThis is a beautifully built, classically framed movie, shot with the unshowy natural expressiveness of a John Ford Western.
Empire Magazine
pressWar Horse is bold, exquisite family filmmaking in the grandest Hollywood tradition.
Variety
pressThis beautifully composed picture brings a robust physicality to tried-and-true source material, but falls short of the sustained narrative involvement and emotional drive its resolutely old-fashioned storytelling demands.
Total Film
pressWar Horse shows Spielberg back in the saddle, in full command of story, setting and characters.
The Guardian
pressIn the end, while you can't doubt Spielberg's commitment to telling a putatively heartwarming and emotion-wringing tale, War Horse is just too calculated to do what he wants to do.
Roger Ebert
pressWar Horse is bold, not afraid of sentiment and lets out all the stops in magnificently staged action sequences.
Newshub
pressWar Horse left me strangely and definitively unmoved on every level, with a cheesiness factor alienating me from the characters and robbing me of any connection with the story.
Hollywood Reporter
pressA grandly made, tear-jerking film for all audiences, the way Hollywood used to make them.
Entertainment Weekly
pressThis is a beautifully built, classically framed movie, shot with the unshowy natural expressiveness of a John Ford Western.
Empire Magazine
pressWar Horse is bold, exquisite family filmmaking in the grandest Hollywood tradition.
Steven, Steven, Steven :(
Mister Spielberg is sadly going down the same road as Mister Lucas by pouring millions to produce disappointing results. His demise began with the last Indiana Jones movie and continues with this. How it was nominated for Best Picture is beyond me! There are much better films that weren't even nominated that are far superior to this film. I sincerely hope...
I don't understand all the negative reviews!
I am stumped by all the poor reviews - I loved this movie! I can only think that the reviewers are all die-hard Spielberg fans and that this movie didn't meet up to their pre-conceived ideas. I found it very moving and it is a beautiful story. The only negative comment I would make is that there appeared to be a mixture of "styles" - we went...
Horsesh*t
I'm a huge Spielberg fan. I even loved AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. But then again, HOOK made me vomit; ALWAYS made me want to gouge out my eyes with a rusty spoon and AMISTAD was just plain dull. Sadly, WAR HORSE joins these three as one of the Berg's misfires. Sappy, soppy, silly - and that's not even because it's hero is, um, a horse. Great cast,...
2 words. Steven Speilberg.
Once again Speilberg has got it horribly wrong. Even the English village locations looked like Hollywood backlots. Emily Watson's talents were sorely underused and what was Benedict Cumberbatch doing in this clunker? He must have been fooled into thinking this was going to be a WW1 story. Only one good scene in this.Don't bother going for it.
Bore Horse
What on earth has happened to Steven Spielberg? Despite large amounts of negativity surrounding War Horse, I was firmly of the opinion that anything the legendary director had to offer was worth taking a chance on and seeing in the cinema. Now I'm not so convinced. After not releasing a film since 2008's widely derided Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of...
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