War
Horse is an interesting movie based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo and directed
by Steven Spielberg. The movie stars a previously unknown Jeremy Irvine (Albert
Narracott) r in the role of a young, naive farm hand and the son of an aging,
troubled father, Ted Narracott (Peter Mullen), and a compassionate soldier,
Tome Hiddleston (Captain James Nicholls). As well as the centerpiece of the
whole movie, Joey (Horse), who was well directed from start to end, convincing
the audience with his realistic reactions. The movie itself is centered during
World War One, and is made with the running themes of hope, tragedy, friendship
and even determination. These themes help build the movie in multiple ways, as
either an emotional joyride or a cliched recreation of past stories.
The
movie starts in the rolling hills of Dartmoor, England. A half-thoroughbred
foal is born to the astonishment of a young, optimistic farm hand, Albert
Narracott. An auction held at the town of Devon soon finds the young foal, to
be named Joey, in the hands of the thankful Albert Narracott, after he was
bought by an aging alcoholic, Ted Narracott, Albert Narracot’ father. Despite the
dismay it brought his loving mother, Rose Narracott (Emily Watson), Albert is
determined to raise him properly. Yet, a war if epic proportions is at Europe’s
throat, and Joey soon finds himself in the hands of a caring soldier, Captain
James Nicholls, with enemies and friends at every turn.
The
movie has multiple positives and negatives. The acting, for the most part, is
very well done. Even those with less than 10 minutes of screen time were acted
well. However, I have some concerns with Jeremy Irvine’s performance. Jeremy
Irvine acted as a man undaunted by the challenges of war. This is common;
however, Irvine made it seem the trifles of war were needless to him, as if he
is some inhuman god, never feeling the sadness that most expect or acting scared
while in danger. His sadness in some scenes though is well played and well
directed. Fortunately, the powerful sound effects as well as the absorbing set
designs make up for his only slightly above average performance. The sound
effects were incredibly realistic, even managing to add suspense and emotion to
a scene almost by itself. Those sounds also partner well with the set design.
The set itself is well done and well thought of, wrapping multiple colors into
either a world of vibrancy or drabness, using the picturesque hills of Dartmoor
to its advantage. These settings set the emotion of the movie well, and the
fascinating similarities to real-life scenarios can only add to the movie.
Overall,
I recommend this movie, but not as one that you must watch. The story can
sometimes be unfocused, not properly building up certain characters before
they discard them or reuse them for brief moments. The music can sometimes be
rammed into the scene, trying to add emotion in a way that can be seen as
pretentious. It also seems that the movie’s theme of hope is too great, never
once thinking of what happens if they lost that hope. Despite all these
concerns, it still poses as a dramatic, fast-moving family movie which can be
enjoyed by many. If you love watching dramatic, pacy movies, then this would be
a joy for you.
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