War Horse

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War Horse

PG-13

2011

2h 26m

History

Drama

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

241 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile, Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

Critics Consensus

Technically superb, proudly sentimental, and unabashedly old-fashioned, War Horse is an emotional drama that tugs the heartstrings with Spielberg's customary flair.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

11/16/2022

Spielberg is mindful of the family audience, but still captures the misery of trench combat.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/31/2018

This is always emotionally obvious, as well as consistently predictable. Something important has been lost in translation that cannot be compensated for by realism or pictorial beauty.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

02/22/2012

B+

[Not] entirely satisfying … Somehow, though, the sum of the parts are more than the whole … It is a film of a kind we don't see any more, that it would be good to see more of.

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

05/08/2024

2/5

War Horse finds it hard to say even something comforting about the Great War. Instead, it poses a question: is the Hollywood master, with his recent record in mind, starting to lose his touch?

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Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

06/21/2023

10/10

War Horse marks Spielberg's return to the war genre and the continuance of his journey along the promised path. [Full review in Spanish]

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Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

03/23/2023

7/10

“War Horse” is a solid effort from an all-time filmmaker, so it will always be looked upon as lesser. If someone else had made it, its reputation might be better, but as it stands, it’s a solid effort with some remarkable flourishes and structural flaws.

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John S

@RT07700383 Mar 22

A remarkable film with Spielberg's and John Williams's signatures. Pity that German and French characters all speak such fluent English, but otherwise one of the best films inspired by the First World War, despite Academia's hasty - though expected - negative reactions. John Ford's influence in a few scenes i pre-1914 England...

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Tyler G

@tylergross121 Nov 2

Some of the symmetry from the beginning scenes to the ending scenes is really clever. So many people are so obsessed with this average looking and acting horse that it defies plausibility. Everything is so self-serious and yet often so silly if though about for 30 seconds. Every line of dialogue is given like it is the most important thing ever said. There were some nice scenes and impressive sets, but I think this one is a bit overrated.

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Andrew G

@MrJinx Sep 21

A powerful emotional journey through the First World War mostly seen through the eyes of a horse. Spielberg uses a more old fashioned approach than his other war movies, sometimes stretching belief, but still manages to convey the brutality and futility of war. The film is technically brilliant, and the cinematography is absolutely stunning. But most of all, it's an emotional journey which will probabely move you to tears by the end.

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Gareth v

@geewah Jul 10

Dull, predictable and at times soap opera like in it's attempts to convey the horrors of war. A real misstep from Spielberg.

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Korra N

@RT88131552 Jul 6

Beautiful, heart-wrenching & a rousing triumph that showcases how animals are just as important as people, just as deserving of their lives & how friendship can bring us back from the brink of hopelessness.

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Geo3 F

@RT82897544 May 7

This is a great film and very unique idea on how to see a war thru a Animal in this case horse perspective. What I like also was the cinematography used in many scenes especially the war one's very creative from Steven Spielberg. In the end, it took a while to see it but I'm glad I did.

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Synopsis

Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile, Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Screenwriter: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Kennedy/Marshall, Amblin Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Seq. of War Violence)
Genre: History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $79.9M
Runtime: 2h 26m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

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