Spielberg returns to familiar territory but cannot overcome some major obstacles...

If you’re a Steven Spielberg fan the time has come to rejoice because the director’s latest effort has all the hallmarks of his previous work. The story of a boy separated from his equestrian friend set amidst the backdrop of World War One, War Horse is the kind of sentimental epic that Spielberg does well. Therefore it’s a shame that it often feels like the director is on auto-cruise during this somewhat predictable melodrama.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the film is its structure. The main character is Joey, or 'War Horse' as he comes to be known. This is his journey, and along the way we meet the characters who become his owners and, momentarily, even glimpse the world as reflected through his eyes. Consequently the film is split into segments as Joey is thrust into a variety of different scenarios depending on who his owner is at the time. Yet the structure of the film is linear, and Joey’s journey is told from his birth onwards. What links all of these different interactions is the historical setting of WW1 and its affect on Joey’s various owners.

This is no easy feat to accomplish, seeing as the main character cannot verbally convey emotion; however, the film does not quite pull it off. The inevitable problem is characterisation, with little time devoted to most of the human characters, and others that seem underdeveloped. As a result the more interesting storylines are unfairly marginalised and the characters we are drawn to are just as quickly thrust off-screen as Joey continues his journey.

"With Spielberg unwilling to take risks, predictability inevitably becomes the film’s biggest flaw"

As previously mentioned, thematically War Horse recalls the director’s earlier efforts such as ET, Empire of the Sun and Saving Private Ryan – the latter in its thrilling battle sequences. However, what War Horse lacks in comparison to those films is a genuine sense of danger. So whereas the battle scenes are exciting, they don’t have the visceral impact of the brutal sequences in Saving Private Ryan. And while the harsh reality of war lurks in the background, it is never brought to the fore as depressingly as in Empire of the Sun. With Spielberg unwilling to take risks, predictability inevitably becomes the film’s biggest flaw.

Another major pitfall is the character of Albert Narracott, played by newcomer Jeremy Irvine.  As Joey’s original caretaker, he is the most prominent human character in the film. Albert in his teens is slightly older than the complex children from Spielberg’s iconic eighties output, yet retains the wide-eyed wonder and innocence associated with those protagonists. Regrettably for War Horse, Albert is not as multifaceted as those characters. Again the structure of the film might be partially to blame for this. However, Albert’s moist-eyed innocence does little to accentuate the hardships his character faces throughout the film. Ultimately, like much else about the film, he is forgettable.

Apart from being reminiscent of his own output, certain scenes in War Horse also bring to mind other historical epics. The scene in which the courage of the British Cavalry is crushed by the industrial might of the German battalion, for example, is eerily similar to one of the main battle sequences in Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai. Secondly, the film’s bone-rattling depiction of trench warfare is similar to the explosive beginning of Anthony Minghella’s civil war epic Cold Mountain.

However, what it lacks in originality War Horse makes up for in its simple pleasures. For those seeking a good old-fashioned epic, you needn’t look any further. War Horse has everything; majestic widescreen shots of the beautiful British countryside, a great cast including the likes of Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddlestone to name but a few, and a sweeping score by Spielberg’s go-to composer John Williams. Rest assured, this tale of adversity against the odds will make you cry, laugh and cry some more. Just don’t expect to gallop out of the cinema with much to think or even talk about.

War Horse is on general release in the UK from today.

See also:

War Horse Press Conference – Spielberg Speaks

War Horse Press Conference Part Two: Authors and Actors

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn review

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