Dreamwork Pictures’ War Horse Movie Review – OUT on Christmas Day 2011!
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Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. I attended a pre-screening in order to form my own opinions. All opinions are my own.
Dream Works Pictures’ War Horse comes out on Christmas Day!!! If you love movies with strong loyalties, emotions, bravery, and independence you will love this new movie by Steven Spielberg! I had the opportunity to attend the pre-screening a few weeks ago and it was pretty intense! There is a lot of action in this movie as it is set during a war (so please don’t take your little kids!!) but it is also filled with hope, love, loyalty, bravery, and the courage to not only do what’s right but to keep going no matter what the cost.
I had seen the trailer but I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I went to see the movie. Set in England and across Europe in World War 1, the videography is fantastic and the scenery is stunning. The story line is a beautiful story of a boy named Albert who loves his horse named Joey. It takes you from the beginning when Joey is brought into the family, helps the family make it through their worst financial time by helping to plow their fields, and then is sold to a war captain. The captain soon loses his life in battle and the story gets even deeper as you follow Joey through friendly and enemy hands. Towards the end of the movie there is an incredible moving climax as enemies come together in the most unusual way……I don’t want to spoil the movie for you but it is a good one!
When I attended the screening – even though we were specifically told not to bring our children – there were at least 6 small kids (about 4-6 years old) – this is NOT a movie for them unless you like them watching intense and realistic war movies which I highly doubt! It is rated PG-13 for a reason! I tend to prefer higher paced movies as this one seems a bit laid back but the story line and emotions in the movie are strong which made it worth watching. It was a touch slow starting off but I was soon captivated by the story line and was left wondering what would happen next. The story and videography of this movie definitely make it.
If you are a high school teacher Scholastic has some great Printables for you and your students that coincide with War Horse. It is a fantastic way to bring historical fiction into your classroom. If you have a high schooler that is fascinated by history or wars they will want to watch this. Throughout the movie it is amazing the compassion (and lack of compassion) shown for a simple horse.
Here is a teaser trailer on War Horse:
Without a doubt, this is Spielberg trying his hardest to manipulate the hell out of his audience but it somehow works and brought me into the story despite some of the very corny moments. The cat doesn't really have any big-names either, but they are all great in each of their own respective roles as well. Great review. Check out mine when you get the chance.