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WAR HORSEMovie Reviews
Drama about the journey of a horse through Europe during WWI, and the people whose lives are changed by their encounters with the animal. Cast:Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter MullanDirector:Steven SpielbergRelease Date:December 25, 2011DVD Release:April 3, 2012From:Walt Disney PicturesRating:PG-13Length:2 hr. 26 min.
War Horse played to very good reviews. • Glenn Sumi wrote in Toronto Now, "...the kind of solid, old-fashioned filmmaking that wins awards and pleases crowds.... The ensemble cast is solid.... a fine movie full of humanity and heroism..." • And Steven Rea wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...sugary, to be sure - but it is sugar cut with cannon fire and barbed wire and the horrors of war." More Reviews Below...
War Horse Positive Reviews (49 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an intriguing narrative... doesn't entirely hold together, lacking Spielberg's usual knack for delivering emotional impact without making an audience feel manipulated."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 12/29/11
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "Spielberg pays homage to past masters John Ford and David Lean, and to the antiquated notion of taking things seriously.... a searing, splendid film."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,038 words, 12/23/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...features a strong cast and the sort of impeccable production values you would expect from Spielberg... yet it's overlong, painfully earnest and sometimes even hokey."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 12/22/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...heartfelt and marvelously crafted... Keeps to the standards of the PG-13 rating without skimping on the realities of war... It's one from the heart."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 401 words, 12/09/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...exhilarating, impressionistic... In the hands of a master director like Steven Spielberg, the story is impeccably crafted and heartfelt, if consistently predictable."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 396 words, 12/23/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...made with superb artistry.... Most people will enjoy it, as I did. But not included in the picture is the level of sheer hopeless tragedy that is everywhere just out frame."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 874 words, 12/23/11
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: MODERATE(cg) "Tonally jarring and structurally disjointed, it's a punishingly long and bumpy ride.... Even top-notch actors Mullan, Watson and Thewlis can't transcend their 'types'..."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 871 words, 12/19/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...may not succeed as well as might be hoped in generating a powerful emotional response, but its historical depiction does an outstanding job of transporting us..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 12/23/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Suppress your instinctive impatience, quiet the snarky voice in your head and allow yourself to recall, or perhaps to discover, the deep pleasures of sincerity."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,162 words, 12/23/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "This is not a children's story about a boy and his horse. It's a study of war that happens to be viewed through the eyes of those two characters."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 12/23/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "There is great beauty, great power in the emotional journey for both boy and beast, if only Spielberg had trusted that we would be able to read between the lines."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 830 words, 12/23/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a gorgeous, majestic fable about a boy who yearns to be reunited with his steed.... Those who say they don't make 'em like they used to must now fall silent."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 887 words, 12/23/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "I do hope that, after 'War Horse' and 'The Adventures of Tintin,' Spielberg he gets ahold of young-adult material more worthy of his adult talent."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 12/23/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "Equal parts profound and corny, but always emotionally powerful and beautiful to look at. Parents should take the PG-13 rating seriously."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 346 words, 12/23/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "It's the restraint that makes 'War Horse' remarkable. Spielberg shows you enough to understand that what you're watching was unprecedented."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 12/26/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...made with superb artistry.... Most people will enjoy it, as I did. But not included in the picture is the level of sheer hopeless tragedy that is everywhere just out frame."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 874 words, 12/23/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...served up with a self-aggrandizing, distracting surplus of Norman Rockwell backlighting, aerial landscape shots designed to out-swoop David Lean's."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 857 words, 12/21/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...like turning the pages of a very long children's book... But it succeeds in dramatizing the message that humanity must triumph even in times of great inhumanity..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 912 words, 12/23/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The trouble here is not so much that Spielberg's film staunchly insists on finding a happy ending even in the calamity of the First World War, but that he slathers it on..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 798 words, 12/25/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the kind of solid, old-fashioned filmmaking that wins awards and pleases crowds.... The ensemble cast is solid.... a fine movie full of humanity and heroism..."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 12/22/11
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Joey proves to be a thoroughly charismatic protagonist, played here by 14 horses capable of tossing their heads, crumpling their legs and nickering expressively..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 12/23/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...unashamedly old-fashioned.... 'War Horse' is sugary, to be sure - but it is sugar cut with cannon fire and barbed wire and the horrors of war."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 12/23/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...incredibly well-made, breathtaking in its visual scope and texture, gritty in its depiction of World War I battles and borderline lachrymose in its emotional manipulation."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 12/23/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "The best film of the year. The year, unfortunately, is 1942.... self-consciously old-school, to the point where you can feel Spielberg treating us like children..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 12/23/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "It is not Spielberg's best movie, nor is it even close. But it's no small thing that it contains some of his best stuff."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 725 words, 12/23/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...ably uses antique grammar to tell an old-fashioned story in an attempt to move its audience in the way film is widely said to be able to do but rarely does."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 12/23/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...served up with a self-aggrandizing, distracting surplus of Norman Rockwell backlighting, aerial landscape shots designed to out-swoop David Lean's."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 857 words, 12/21/11
Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...if you're looking for a way to teach your kids about one of the darkest periods in human history, 'War Horse' is the perfect way to do it."(See all of Josh Tyler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 12/22/11
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...corny, sentimental, overlong, but also spectacular and at times, even stirring. Spielberg sure knows how to orchestrate a big-budget popular movie."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 123 words, 12/22/11
Keith Phipps, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Spielberg's exactitude always serves the film's emotional directness, as do the openhearted performances of the actors (both human and otherwise)."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 12/22/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "...masterly, accomplished, stirring... Janusz Kaminski shoots the craggily gorgeous Devon countryside as if he were looking at it through God's eyes."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,246 words, 12/23/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the kind of solid, old-fashioned filmmaking that wins awards and pleases crowds.... The ensemble cast is solid.... a fine movie full of humanity and heroism..."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 12/22/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "When it shifts to farm life, such as the endless first half hour, it's clumsy, mawkish, and practically crushed under the weight of a suffocating John Williams score."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 12/21/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (7 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...an impressive entertainment, and an occasionally stirring one.... makes an eloquent case for the unspeakable bestiality of war and the nobility of wordless beasts."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 12/30/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Suppress your instinctive impatience, quiet the snarky voice in your head and allow yourself to recall, or perhaps to discover, the deep pleasures of sincerity."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,162 words, 12/23/11
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "It's not that a film can't be lighthearted family fare, a gritty war epic and a weepie all at once... here, those elements feel strictly compartmentalized -- and calculated."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 12/22/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "There is great beauty, great power in the emotional journey for both boy and beast, if only Spielberg had trusted that we would be able to read between the lines."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 830 words, 12/23/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: VERY GOOD "...a love story about the bond between humans and animals that somehow sneaks past the viewer's emotional defenses.... a powerful and painful critique of war."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 944 words, 12/23/11
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...beautifully composed... [but] for all the film's efforts to dramatize the senseless, arbitrary brutality of war, its polished surface rarely allows a gut-level sense of peril..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,114 words, 12/15/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "A grandly made, tear-jerking film for all audiences, the way Hollywood used to make them.... many of Spielberg's interests dovetail here..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,737 words, 12/15/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "There is great beauty, great power in the emotional journey for both boy and beast, if only Spielberg had trusted that we would be able to read between the lines."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 830 words, 12/23/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a sprawling historical epic, boasting some emotionally stirring moments.... does not rank among Spielberg's strongest works, but it is nonetheless an iconic work..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,160 words, 12/19/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Suppress your instinctive impatience, quiet the snarky voice in your head and allow yourself to recall, or perhaps to discover, the deep pleasures of sincerity."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,162 words, 12/23/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "...an impressive entertainment, and an occasionally stirring one.... makes an eloquent case for the unspeakable bestiality of war and the nobility of wordless beasts."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 12/30/11
17.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
War Horse's reviews are separated by an average 17.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
War Horse (49 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:War Horse's reviews cover 93.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 32,275 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 659 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
War Horse Coverage, Volume & Length (49 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 31.5 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
War Horse's reviews on average broke 31.5 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is War Horse's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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