CFN – Sunday afternoons are such a nice time to go to a movie in the winter. So I paid my nearly $20 for a single seat and small popcorn with butter and settled in with some friends to watch War Horse, the new movie from director Stephen Spielberg.
Horses aren’t dogs or even hamsters. This was very tough material. As a screenwriter I look at this and wonder where I could’ve fixed it or improved it and frankly I was frustrated.
Not that War Horse is perfect; it just is tough to communicate some of what I’m sure the director wanted.
There are no real stars to this movie. It’s nice to see Emily Watson give her usual fine performance although she didn’t have much to work with.
Hollywood seems so focused on streaming down the length of movies that you miss out on story and character development. You don’t connect motivations.
The story is plain enough – colourful character buys a horse – his son devotes himself to the majestic beast until the horse is sold off to World War one.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRf3SfeMRD4
It ends up working on both sides before it’s poignant moment of rescue. I don’t want to give too much away.
There was some great potential to cover a lot of ground. I do like that Mr. Spielberg ever so casually shows the utter pointlessness of war and how those that truly suffer the most have the least with why they happen.
And that those most innocent usually lose more than those most responsible for them.
War Horse is playing at an over priced big box theatre near you….really….nearly $20 for a ticket and small popcorn; good thing I didn’t order a bottle of water too…. no wonder less people are going to the movies. Grr….
I’m going to give War Horse 3 out of 5 bags of Popcorn for some lovely photography and for not being bad and actually having some good discussion points. And yes, it’s a weeper for those of us that love animals!
Wow, what a tear jerker! Loved the way Speilberg showed the love of a boy and his horse.Apparently 13 different horses were used to be “Joey”. My $8.50 small buttered popcorn got soggy from my tears.
Just absolutely loved it!