War Horse: An Alternative Review

So I realise that War Horse was released a really long time and the reviews on it have been and gone, but I didn't manage to see it until last night, so I want to give you my thoughts.

War Horse may not have been made brilliantly. There may have been some obvious green screen useage and overly orange lighting, but I'm coming to realise that maybe Spielberg's heart doesn't come out in his great filmmaking abilities. I think Spielberg wants to tell epic stories. People don't care for stories much anymore. They want explosions and dead bodies and war and pain that looks real. War Horse was not a war film, and I think that upset some people. This was a film, a beautiful film, about the way we connect with animals. Which isn't something many people appreciate, because it's viewed as "cheesy" or "silly".

Throughout history animals were sent to war, just like people. They took part in the fight but had no option to turn back. When a soldier was wounded and could no longer fight he was sent home; a wounded horse was shot. I believe that, without animals, the war would have been even tougher.

The film ends with Albert, the main character, sillhoueted on horseback, riding home across the Devonshire countryside at sunset to one of the most beautiful film scores I have ever heard; John Williams certainly did this story justice. War Horse was not a great film, it wasn't a work of art, it wasn't a war film, but it was a great story, and, call me old fashioned but, for that, I think Spielberg deserves some credit.

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