Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence.
Starring Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson and David Thewlis
Directed by Steven Spielberg
A horse is a horse unless of course…never mind.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, War Horse is based on the hit stage play, which in turn was based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo. The story begins in rural Devon in 1913, when a horse named Joey is bought by farmer Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) on a drunken impulse and is adopted by Ted’s teenage son Albert (Jeremy Irvine), who proves the horse’s worth by teaching Joey to work the fields. However, when war breaks out, Ted sells Joey to a kindly cavalry captain (Tom Hiddleston), who promises a heartbroken Albert that he’ll look after his horse. After a catastrophic battle scene, Joey finds himself without an owner and subsequently changes hands between various people, including a young German soldier (David Kross), a French farmer (Nils Arestrup) and his young grand-daughter (Celine Buckens), a kindly German horse-handler (Nicolas Bro) and a Geordie soldier (Toby Kebbel) who encounters Joey in No Man’s Land. Meanwhile, Albert joins the army and heads to France, hoping against hope to be reunited with his beloved horse.
The performances in this film are all excellent. Irvine is perfect as Albert and there are several other very talented actors who bring this moving story about a horse to life.
And with Spielberg at the helm, War Horse delivers some genuinely stunning sequences, including a horrific battle sequence and an extraordinary scene in which Joey runs through the trenches with bombs and gunfire exploding in the background. Not to mention the animal acting is perfect throughout.
Although the cast is great and the imagery is breathtaking and the director a legend, you cannot deny that the film drags from time to time. And honestly if you are not a lover of horses, some of it is just plain silly.
There was one other flaw that still puzzles me. The ending is woefully inadequate after the “No Man’s Land” scene.
While not up there with Spielberg’s best films, War Horse is an impressively directed, moving drama with strong performances and some powerful sequences, I think it is “Theater Worthy.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
As necessitated by the subject matter, this movie is filled with suspense, danger, and intense battle sequences, including physical harm to animals and could be frightening to young children. It is “tame” when compared to most other war movies.
Conversation Starter:
- When Joey gets tangled up in barbed wire in the infamous No Man’s Land, a British and German soldier form an unlikely temporary alliance to free him. How did you feel watching that scene?
- What are some lessons we can take away from watching those two soldiers?
- One term we can use for these two men is “peacemaker.” How do you think God feels about peacemakers?
- Read Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- Have you been in a situation lately where you needed to be a peacemaker? What happened?
- What is one thing you can do this week to be a peacemaker in your school? Team? Home?
