I thought War Horse was going to be one of those "Boy and his dog come to a bad end" stories except with a horse instead of a dog. But I was very wrong; this movie has a very robust story featuring the boy and his horse. It is dramatic and sad at times but has a very good plot and definitely is worth watching.
The plot for War Horse reminds me in a way of Black Beauty. That is because the story is about the horse, Joey, and his experiences. It is not centered around the people, really. In the book, which I do want to read, I bet each experience is its own chapter featuring each of the new people that Joey meets and interacts with. Joey is a wild spirited colt that is bought by a farmer who cannot afford him. He charges his son, Albert, with the taming of this colt. Albert tames the colt, befriends him, and even teaches him to plow the land. Alas, an early happy ending to this story was just not to be. The farmer cannot pay his rent so he sells Joey to an officer in the British Army because World War I is just beginning. The officer is shipped to German occupied France and Joey's journey begins. What follows is a moving story of love, friendship, loyalty, and humanity in a time when it seemed the world had none of those things. Joey ends up in the hands of the Germans, twice; he spends some time with a grandfather and granddaughter in France, and finds himself trapped in No Man's Land in the middle of the war. Can Joey find his way back to England and his boy Albert? This is one of those it's the Journey not the destination movies but it is certainly worth the trip.
This movie has a great plot through the eyes of the horse, Joey, but it also has some great cinematography. We get some beautiful shots of the English countryside (it really was filmed in England). There is also some great camerawork and cut scenes as well. This movie is very well put together visually.
The horse and horse trainer should be commended. The horse seems to show emotions and is the cornerstone of the film. If the horse is not believable as a character the whole thing falls apart luckily; Joey is a believable character. They did an excellent job. You find yourself bonding with Joey and hoping everything turns out all right for him. The human acting was good as well. Jeremy Irvine plays the young boy, Albert, who raises Joey from a colt. He is devastated to see Joey sold and the events at the beginning of the movie are a tough lesson for Albert to learn. Later in the film we see him more grown up as a solider in the war. Jeremy does a great job portraying the young boy as he grows from a child to a man during the course of the film. Albert's character comes to understand a lot about life through the events of the film. I thought he did an excellent job.
I also liked Peter Mullan as the boy's father who has done this foolish thing and then has to rely on his boy to fix it. I also thought Emily Watson did a fantastic job playing Albert's mother, Rose. She is a take no nonsense woman. She is so mad when the father brings home the racing horse instead of a plow horse. While she hopes for the best she fears for the worse. She was a great character. There are lots and lots of characters in this film some of which are only on the screen for moments, but all of them contributed to the rich tapestry that is War Horse. They all did a great job and its part of what makes War Horse such an enjoyable movie to watch.
One other character I would like to mention is the Grandfather from France. His character is one of an older man that has to raise a very spirited young granddaughter because her parents have died. He is played by Niels Arestrup, and for me was very memorable. He has some good moments and some good lines. You get the worry of old age mixed with the joy of the having the granddaughter. He was a delightful character and very well played.
I liked this movie despite myself. I was all set to be bored and hate it. And imagine my horror when I found myself liking this film. The previews don't do it justice. This is a fantastic movie, and you should give it a try. You will be glad you did.
exelent move
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You should give it a try. Thanks :)
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