War Horse

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War Horse

PG-13,

2011,

2h 26m,

History/

Drama/

War

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Watchlist

Watchlist

74%

239 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

239 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile, Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

Critics Consensus

Technically superb, proudly sentimental, and unabashedly old-fashioned, War Horse is an emotional drama that tugs the heartstrings with Spielberg's customary flair.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Nov 16, 2022

Spielberg is mindful of the family audience, but still captures the misery of trench combat.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Aug 31, 2018

This is always emotionally obvious, as well as consistently predictable. Something important has been lost in translation that cannot be compensated for by realism or pictorial beauty.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Feb 22, 2012

B+

[Not] entirely satisfying … Somehow, though, the sum of the parts are more than the whole … It is a film of a kind we don't see any more, that it would be good to see more of.

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

May 8, 2024

2/5

War Horse finds it hard to say even something comforting about the Great War. Instead, it poses a question: is the Hollywood master, with his recent record in mind, starting to lose his touch?

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Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

Mar 23, 2023

7/10

“War Horse” is a solid effort from an all-time filmmaker, so it will always be looked upon as lesser. If someone else had made it, its reputation might be better, but as it stands, it’s a solid effort with some remarkable flourishes and structural flaws.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 6, 2023

4/4

Spielberg delivers an instant classic, and one of 2011’s very best films.

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Chase Rehm

@csergio

Jul 9, 2026

Love horses and love this.

Abraham S

Mar 8, 2019

Story lacks direction, great sequences, predictable with pacing issues

Kylo S

Feb 19, 2019

4/5. While War Horse does have a few dull parts and a few silly moments, this is an engaging film that is beautifully shot and has a sweet story to tell.

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Nov 15, 2018

The problem is it does not reflect England, France and the Great War all along except in the trenches and when Joey is in the barbed wires. A very American film which distorts reality even the languages are for babies with global accents . So far from history . So far from my heart . So far from my great grand parents and their relatives whom I know as a kid .

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George L

Aug 27, 2018

awesome from start to finish

Rey W

Jul 9, 2018

It's....nice. At least it isn't Spielberg's typical manipulative style into how horrible the Germans are, but...really not much to it. It's basically super horse. Sappy Disney Rubbish mostly. It's akin to a 3-hour youtube kitten video.

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Peter Mullan

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Synopsis

Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile, Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Screenwriter: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Kennedy/Marshall, Amblin Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Seq. of War Violence)
Genre: History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $79.9M
Runtime: 2h 26m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

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