Steven Spielberg seems to always have his hand & eye involved in many projects, but War Horse is the first one he’s directed (well, this and Tintin) since the dismal Indiana Jones IV attempt (though I mainly blame George Lucas for that debacle).
After taking in the 146 minutes, the filmmaking is impeccable; as it is one of the cleanest productions these green eyes have seen this year. The cinematography is truly a work of art. Knowing that, all one really needs then is decent acting and, the most important component of all, a solid story.
When a young horse is bought at an auction by a struggling farmer (Peter Mullan), the rest of the small English town thinks he’s crazy for believing the smaller-statured horse can plow his vast fields; something that the gimpy war veteran desperately needs to happen, or he’ll be forced to relinquish his lands to his greedy and arrogant landlord (David Thewlis). His son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine) forms an instant bond with the horse, now named Joey. Together, Joey is able to over-achieve in many aspects, and the entire family suddenly has hope they will be able to retain their property.
Unfortunately, the setting of this tale occurs on the eve of World War I. And this takes the toll on everyone; leading the family to reluctantly part with Joey, since a horse of his caliber will fetch a nice buying price for the English army. Obviously, Albert is distraught and vows to one day reunite with his beloved steed. Joey is also not happy with the situation and ends up embarking on a journey filled with violence, love, and friendship (sounds like I work for the studio).
The plot is quite simple really; and how they were able to stretch this out into a workable screenplay is commendable. But that doesn’t mean it’s worth the ride. The lack of drama and/or emotional moments become more noticeable as the script is just too predictable for the most part. Granted there are a few constructed sequences – mainly showing up in the latter part of the film – that can get one caring about the horse and the assortment of characters he comes across. Aside from the horse itself though, the set designs are the true star of this flick. Spielberg ushers us into early 20th century England and then showcases the carnage of warfare back then in a handful of exhilarating action scenes – that are not CGI’d to all hell, thankfully. Where the script gets dull is during the intended tender moments as the horse briefly interacts with a variety of new owners if you will - when he’s not repeatedly summoned to carry out war duties for an array of WWI armies.
And speaking of the horse, if animals could be up for nominations in the major award shows, this soldier deserves a nod (it would be a two animal race between the handful of horses and the dog from, The Artist). This lead character puts out so much emotion that no matter what one may think of the surrounding elements (story, acting, and film mechanics); they will be drawn to the charisma and persona of the gorgeous animal. Especially the way Spielberg captures him through the lens (he always places his own camera on his sets). And, the daring stunt work involving the horse is pretty impressive.
Overall, War Horse has the ability to perform some incredible tricks throughout this country-to-country period piece. Where the flick fails to rise to the occasion is noticed during lingering sequences that simply do not provide enough heart to get an audience invested in the intended odyssey. It’s thrilling to watch the horse perform, but the story can’t keep up with the excellent titular star.
War Horse is rated PG-13 and opens in the Tampa Bay market on Christmas Day.
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