Rating of
1/4
Probably The Worst Movie I Have Seen of 2011
Alex - wrote on 01/14/12
Even the absolute beauty of the way this movie was shot cannot save the horrible story and horrible acting at times. Shame on you, Hollywood Foreign Press (golden globes) for even nominating this movie. I think Vigo Mortensen wrote this movie.
The Story: Horrible. Maybe if you are a horse lover or in love with Seabiscuit, Secretariat or any other over the top melodramatic movie you could enjoy this film. I am none of those (I despise Seabiscuit and I have never seen Secretariat). A young boy falls in love with a horse (in a very weird way in my opinion). His poor father finally buys the horse and the kid's love for the horse exponentially grows. Then the horse goes to war. Sounds bad, right? It is.
Style/Cinematography: Awesome. One of the best I have seen in a few years. Very high production value. Some Saving Private Ryan mixed in with The Searchers. Spielberg is a master at this. I talked recently about grit and texture. This movie finally has it. It is a shame though.
Musical Score: John Williams at the helm sounds good right? You know, the guy who did Star Wars and about 150 other movies. Not good again. Very very melodramatic. It was as if Spielberg wanted you to fall in love with the horse, as if you were married to it. John Williams has fallen of the cliff in the last 10 years.
The Acting: Jeremy Irvine couldn't have been worse. This goes beyond over acting and into pitiful. I feel sorry for him. The rest of the actors were ok, but they are all forgettable. I think this is also where Spielberg has lost it. He used to be able to bring out the best in any actor. He must be lazy now.
Compared to others: Skip this and anything related. Seabiscuit might be better. I can't recommend enough to skip this movie. Spielberg, I have almost lost faith in you.
Recent Comments
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/16/12 at 11:54 AM CT
War Horse Review comment
That's harsh - but I agree Spielberg has been spinning his wheels. Hopefully this Lincoln biopic he's been working on forever rights his ship.
