War Horse

A film about love, goodness and horses, in which the Great War also looks many times more pathetic and moralistic than in all of the anti-war pamphlets of the 1920s and 1930s. Paradoxically, this is not a problem at all - the main drawback of this captivating spectacle is Spielberg's absolute fondness for the surface. Everything inner and psychological disappears from the shots - everything is taken over by a rich visual arrangement. People and horses are explicitly props in the creator's professorial exhibition. Moments of emotion always and again come across the same thing - it's not the human (horse) story that impresses us, it's rather the respectable audiovisual construction, under which (unlike Steven's famous films) there is nothing at all, just a genre vacuum. This is simply not enough for a fairy tale, which War Horse is more than anything else. (20/02/2012)

A nostalgic look back to the heartiest, most melodramatic stage of cinematography. Film poetry for people who remember those times, maybe the last of its kind. Had it been twenty minutes shorter, it would have been one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies. That it’s one of his most personal films can be felt from every scene. (26/02/2012)

War Horse is a beautiful film, exactly what you’d expect from Spielberg. It captures the absurdity of war, especially the First World War, in all its intensity while telling a story that feels almost like a fairy tale—centered around a horse, who is, without a doubt, the main character here. All the human actors feel secondary to the journey of the horse. While that’s pretty unique, it doesn't quite hit the five-star mark for me. That said, the war atmosphere is incredible, and there are some trench scenes I’ll never forget. Spielberg knows how to handle war stories like no one else, and I’m glad he took on WWI and brought something fresh to it. (13/04/2012)

Spielberg did what Cameron did years ago when he was filming Titanic, War Horse is not a groundbreaking in terms of plot, it’s a rather classic story, but Steven indirectly winks at us and suggests that this is how the true blockbuster films of the silver screen used to be made, with real emotions that are not often seen nowadays. The film aesthetics, the camera work, the lighting, etc. are also not standard that I would call them old-school. Therefore, it is a tribute to the old school. Whether it works in the end, everyone has to decide for themselves. For seasoned film enthusiasts, fans of the work of an eternal child, and the older population, War Horse will be a nostalgic escape from everyday reality. For the rest, it will probably just be a tedious bore, which half will consider as pathetic. Spielberg filmed what he wanted and did it very well. The scene with the horse against barbed wire is gripping. (26/03/2012)

This is a pretty special movie for me and I must say that I really enjoyed it. Spielberg filmed this in his own way and it ended up so that every scene looks like a poster. Some scenes stand out incredibly. The ride through the battlefield is the most powerful scene of the movie, thanks to John Williams’ music too. Sometimes maybe half of the good feeling from the movie comes from the somebody sitting next to you. (28/02/2012)