War Horse (2011):

Starring:

Jeremy Irvine - Albert Narracott

Peter Mullan - Ted Narracott

Emily Watson - Rose Narracott

Niels Arestrup - Grandfather

David Thewlis - Lyons

Tom Hiddleston - Captain Nicholls

Benedict Cumberbatch - Major Jamie Stewart

Celine Buckens - Emilie

Patrick Kennedy - Lt. Charlier Waverly

Toby Kebbell - Geordie Soldier

David Kross - Gunther

Matt Milne - Andrew Easton

Robert Emms - David Lyons

Eddie Marsan - Sgt. Fry

Liam Cunningham - Army Doctor

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Synopsis:

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, "War Horse" begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land.

Review:

The most unexpected & unbelieveable journey that a horse has ever had. Unless of course your including the movie "Zoo". The most visually appeasing film that I have seen in a while. Because there was slim to none computer generated anything through out the entire film, just simply breathtaking sets, incredible costumes & realistic back drops of World War I Europe. There are so many scenes that had me completely drawn into every aspect of what was occuring at the time. Two scenes in specific are the scene where the British Calvary are first setting up their attack on a German camp by persumably sneaking up on them through the long grass behind their camp. The scene that captivated me was as they are rushing through the camp scaring the German's into the woods, but as they reach the tree line they have a massive artilliry of machine guns set up & they begin to mow down the attacking British, as they do so you get the camera cutting back & forth between the British attacking & then unridden horses running past the German's. The second is the epic scene that features "Joey" (the Horse) having what I can only imagine is an emotional freakout after his friend/girlfriend (I never quite figured it out) dies. I don't want to say anything about it because it is just filmed so incredibly well & the result of this scene is what sets in motion the incredible finale. The whole movie is somewhat filmed as a narrative from a character who can't actually narrate anything. It is very interesting to see that as a horse who can't actual express facial emotions, yet somehow he does. It's really quite precious. Something really cool about the film, is that throughout you are introduced to new characters & new stories as the horse Joey travels through war torn Europe, something you don't see that often in movies. The films really shows how something as beautiful & powerful can bring out the best & worst in humanity. Showing the warmth & love that can be expressed even by showing it towards an animal. The score was also unbelievable of course because it's done by John Williams, a man who doesn't do anything small scale that isn't the best thing you've ever heard in films. The various emotions that are brought out from his masterful ability to conduct an orchestra to do such outstanding scores is what has made him one of the most powerful composers in movies. Overall the film shows that some good can come from such a tragic time in the world's history, the love between friends & the loyalty between a boy & his horse to find each other again. I will gladly admit that this one got me twice! YES I cried twice. I'm not afraid to say that movie's make me emotional, isn't that the idea? To bring out all the emotions? We'll this one really did succeed. The acting was good, what you would expect from talented British actors. This was the only non- Loki role I had seen Tom Hiddleston portray & thought he did a very good job, even though he was a character role. Really good small roles done by Eddie Marsan & Liam Cunningham. It did move a little slowly at the beginning, the set up was maybe a little too long, but in the end it ads to the story & the climax. If you can get past all of the early talking & calmness, then you will be rewarded with an amazing story & great film. SEE THIS FILM!!

92%

Lead Acting: 14/15
Supporting Cast: 13/15

Plot: 9/10
Compared To The Genre: 8/10

Cinematography: 20/20

Intrigue: 18/20

Extra: 10/10