War Horse the Movie – I Hated It
These two don't die, but everyone else does
I love boys, I have three of them, I love horses, I ride whenever I can. They all die an awful death in War Horse.
The book War Horse is an incredible read. It’s told from the first person perspective of the horse. It’s a beautiful story of a horse’s love for his several owners and his incredible bond with one of the other horses that had been drafted in to the “Great War”. I loved the book so much I’ve given it as a gift several times and even sent it to summer camp with my 11 year old son.
When I received an inviitaton to pre-screen the movie War Horse and participate in a Q & A with the Oscar nominated actress Emily Watson I was thrilled. The movie will open on Christmas Day and the trailers make it appear to be a heartwarming horse-y love story for the whole family. The only person I would send to this movie is my husband, he loves epic war flicks and has a high tolerance for seeing violence.
Emily Watson at screening of War Horse
I watched most of War Horse through my hands as I was so horrified by the onscreen violence. Steven Spielberg took a heartwarming story and turned it in to an gory war film. To which my husband said “and you were surprised?” Yes, I was. I expected some of the story to come through on screen.
The star horse “Joey” had an intense attachment and love for the other horse “Topthorn” in the book. The way they cared for each other to the end of Topthorn’s days brought tears to my eyes when I read it. None of this special relationship came through in the movie. Lacking the horse’s voice at all the movie was such a departure from the book it was jarring.
Emily Watson is a beautiful engaging actress, I really enjoyed the chance to ask her about traveling with her two young children and was pleased to hear that her kids vomit on other plane passengers just like mine do. When asked if she would allow her children to see the movie, she said she thought the cut off should be about 8 years old. I strongly disagree, I wouldn’t even send a sensitive 16 year old. The visual of young boys dying a gruesome death by gas in a dirty muddy trench and scenes filled with slaughtered horses and boys across “no man’s land” are forever seared in to my mind.
If Spielberg’s intent was to remind us how horrid and pointless war can be, he succeeded. Don’t go to War Horse if you are expecting a touching horse love story for the whole family.
Thanks for the tip. I just heard Mr. S interviewed on the radio and he was selling it hard for an Oscar. Can’t imagine seeing it as watching horses and young boys perish doesn’t sound to me like fun family entertainment.
Totally not Oscar worthy in my opinion. Everyone should read the book, few should see the film.
“If Spielberg’s intent was to remind us how horrid and pointless war can be, he succeeded.” But that’s the whole point. War is horrible and bloody and awful and violent and pointless. To sugarcoat it is wrong. It should be presented as it is, not as some saccharine love-fest. Children should know the worlds is a shit place at times. Seriously, I wonder at you. How did you think a war film would be presented? And I too have read the book and Michael Morpurgo doesn’t hold back from talking about the horrors of war, though thoughtfully presented. It’s so much more than the story of Topthorn and Joey – there are several hard-to-read scenes in the book so I seriously don’t know what you are complaining about.
WELL SAID.
So…..you’re saying you didn’t like it?????
Great post! Thx for the warning…. not going.
I love the thoughtful reply. I really took so much more away from the book about the horse’s experience and was sad that it didn’t really translate in the movie. The trailers also make it look somewhat warm and fuzzy but the visual of a trench full of dead boys not much older than my sons shocked me. I don’t think we should sugarcoat war, I just think they should market the movie as such. I love that you read the book, no one who was with me yesterday had!
Thank you for the warning! I to love horses and have a young boy i thought about taking to see it! from the previews on tv it looked a little much for him but i thought he might like it. Now I know not too. again thank you.
The trailer made it look like something our family would enjoy, and we had thought about seeing it Christmas Day. Thanks for your honesty, we’ll pick another movie.
Silly woman. What do you think that war is? Picnics and posey’s? War is the absolute worst in man and ironically it is when man can be at his best. love and hate can be their sharpest and most honest during times of trial,and war is man’s most urgent focusing trial. Speilberg accomplished what he set out to do.Your reaction is why women belong nowhere near war, because they think like you. And if men were smart they would listen to women. Irony through and through.