Follows a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, and how their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Alb...
War Horse is very much a modern Spielberg film, a sweeping, heartfelt epic with grand scope and a simple story. Sadly the emotional elements, which are arguably the biggest part of the film, feel extremely artificial and disconnected, straying far from the raw power of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Sad moments are not driven by characters we care about or powerful story, but by wailing violins and slow push zooms into an actors teary eyes. These scenes were irritatingly forced, having the opposite effect on me as a viewer to what was intended.
Having said that, War Horse was, like any other Spielberg film, an exercise in sheer technical brilliance. Each scene was put together with expertise, camera movements were used brilliantly as a vehicle for storytelling and character building, and sound design was employed very well, even outside of the battle scenes.
I felt the cinematography was a bit on-and-off. Many shots were composed with a realistic yet striking feel to great effect, but many seemed far too perfect, glowing and artificial, going hand in hand with the forced emotional aspects of the film. CGI was used very well however, particularly in Joey and his horse companion (of whom I forget the name). Obviously many practical effects were used for the horses, which I do appreciate, but when it was needed the CGI blended seamlessly with the environment and the characters, displaying the sheer effort put in by Spielberg and his team to this film.
Has this material been handed to a lesser director, the results would no doubt have been depressingly average, perhaps even terrible. Thankfully, Steven Spielberg used his unfailing competence to elevate a very lacklustre script. His directorial presence can be felt throughout, though it is sometimes a bit heavy-handed. I remain grateful however, as Spielberg saved this film from failure, and made an above-average wartime drama that can be enjoyed by all audiences.
