War Horse

I borrowed War Horse from my sister Faye and brother in-law Bob and truth be told, it sat next to my television for over a month because I thought it was the DVD version, not the Blu-ray.  I guess I’m officially a snob.  It’s not as if I have the best television in the world.  On the contrary, CNET helped me buy the cheapest 40″ television with the best picture quality.  The main thing I notice about Blu-rays are the crispness of the picture.  Read my review of White Christmas from last year for a more detailed explanation of why I love Blu-ray.

So silly me, the copy of War Horse was both DVD and Blu-ray.  I didn’t realize it until I was asked to bring it back with me next weekend.  So I popped in the Blu-ray and off to Spielbergland I went.  Of course what I feared most became an immediate reality.  The score was melodramatic, the film reads part oooh, magical E.T., part how horrible is war Saving Private Ryan, and part golly shucks Indiana Jones.  Yes, this could have been National Velvet or any other animal film from the past 100 years.  So I’m not the biggest Spielberg fan in the world.  I think he relies too heavily on formula which is of course why his films are such colossal hits.  That’s the bad news.

The good news is this is a beautiful film.  Janusz Kaminski did an outstanding job shooting it.  It’s also an amazing story that’s sure to pull the heartstrings of anyone who’s an animal lover, which is easily 80% of the population.  It’s got that secret weapon every current film needs, about 10 minutes of Benedict Cumberbatch, especially significant if he’s sporting a mustache.  But what War Horse really has is heart.  My friend Gloria told me the play was the best thing she’s ever seen in her life and she’s been to a lot of Broadway in her day.  So Spielberg had a good story to begin with and boy did I cry off and on throughout and pretty much non-stop through the last half hour.  I still checked the time at least twice during the film, which is never a good sign, so I’m giving this a 3.5 out of 5.  Anyone with a tender heart will surely enjoy this story of a boy and his horse.  Think anti-Equus.  Keep calm and persevere Joey (that’s the horse’s name).