War Horse

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War Horse

PG-13

Released Dec 25, 2011

2h 26m

History

Drama

War

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Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

241 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Albert (Jeremy Irvine) 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.

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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

Times (UK)

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

Nov 16, 2022

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

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.

Aug 31, 2018

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

[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.

Rated: B+

Feb 22, 2012

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

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?

Rated: 2/5

May 8, 2024

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Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

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

Rated: 10/10

Jun 21, 2023

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Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

“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.

Rated: 7/10

Mar 23, 2023

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Joshua M

Excellent film captures WW1 very well and good story...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Patric B

I found this an uncomfortable watch. The cast other than Irvine do a solid job but, strangely considering who directed it, it’s really let down by the direction and cinematography. The sentimentality really comes through in the final scene where Joey comes home and the lighting has been so filtered that it looks like it was shot through a jar of marmalade. This scene was enough to make the audience in my local cinema laugh out loud (and I’ve never experienced an audience laughing AT a film before) and has become a family joke. We don’t have any other film where that applies, even though we make jokes about characters, actors etc. This is the only one where we have a family joke about the director.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

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Audience Member

Spielburg’s direction brings a sweeping sense of scale to the battle sequences while maintaining a deeply personal narrative. The cinematography is breathtaking, contrasting the stark reality of war with the serene countryside. The film also features strong performance, particularly from Albert, whose determination to reunite with Joey drives much of the story’s emotional depth

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

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Allanilton D

O FILME E LINDO DEMAIS! SEU ÚNICO DEFEITO E FALTAR DE CARISMA COM OS PERSONAGENS HUMANOS

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

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Daniel F

This is a movie I'll be watching with my children to grandchildren. Not many movies come along with an amazing storyline followed by beautiful cinematography. How could anyone dislike a film with an ongoing story of a horse that endured so much to end back in full circle.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

A true masterpiece. My favorit move. It is a perfect story. I highly recommend this to everybody who likes good moves.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/03/23

Full Review

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Steven Spielberg

Director

Emily Watson

Rosie Narracott

David Thewlis

Mr. Lyons

Jeremy Irvine

Albert

Peter Mullan

Ted Narracott

Niels Arestrup

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Synopsis

Albert (Jeremy Irvine) 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: Amblin Entertainment, Kennedy/Marshall
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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