War Horse Review
Typically one would think of a dog as a man’s best friend, though maybe not for a farmer’s son. This is a story about a teenage boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey. Albert has a remarkable bond with Joey as he teaches his horse to become the best plow horse in town. Unfortunately, Albert’s father is forced to sell the horse to the Army, since he can’t pay the rent. Now we see Joey’s remarkable journey as he travels throughout Europe from owner to owner, hoping to reunite with Albert. War Horse is based on a children’s book, set in England and Europe during World War I.
Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: December 25, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12 +
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content:Moderate
See a clip of my review here, along with We Bought a Zoo!
Talking Points:
Most of us have seen many war stories. What make’s this film different and what I like about this film is that you see the war from the perspective of a horse. You could feel the horse’s pain and suffering during the war as if he was a soldier fighting for our country.
War Horse was an educational film. I didn’t realize the importance of horses during WWI. I read that,” Britain sent more than 1 million horses to war between 1914 and 1918. Just 62,000 returned.” The war aspect of the film could spark an interesting conversation with kids.
I thought it was interesting to see a German and British soldier come together in No Man’s Land to save Joey, as he was tangled in barbed wire.
As the horse traveled throughout the war it was interesting to meet his various owners, and see them deal with the war, while also hoping to survive.
Though the film is based on a children’s book, this is a war story, and may be a little long and boring for some kids.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
- Initially we see a field of dead men and horses.
- There are many explosions and gun fire throughout the film.
- We see people with missing limbs and scared faces.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “B-tard” is said, and “h–l,” is said a couple times.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Ted, Albert’s father, drinks regularly throughout the film.
Overall War Horse was a well done film with a wonderful storyline about a boy and his horse. Since it is a war movie, the mature subject matter may not interest many kids.
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