Chris Luckett

14. WAR HORSE (2011)

Release Date: December 25, 2011

Chronology: Came out just four days after The Adventures of Tintin, and 11 months before Lincoln

Box Office: $80 million ($84 million, adjusted for inflation)

Oscars: 6 nominations (including Best Picture), 0 wins

Premise: After Joey, the horse Albert (Jeremy Irvine) raised as a child, is sold to the cavalry in World War I, Albert enlists in the army to try and find him

Over two hours?: Sure is

John Williams Score?: You bet

Father Issues?: Albert’s father (Peter Mullan) is an irresponsible, uncaring drunk, always leaving Albert to step up and take care of his farm and family

War?: See title

Aliens?: No aliens

Special Appearances: Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and David Thewlis

Fun Fact: War Horse is the only Spielberg movie to be edited digitally; after finally trying digital editing and finding it rushed the process too much, Spielberg went back to traditional editing for Lincoln.

Best Line: “I might hate you more, but I’ll never love you less.”

Best Scene: 

Verdict: War Horse is an incredibly sentimental movie and probably Spielberg’s most earnest and innocent since E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which leaves it open to mockery from the cynical. If you let the movie into your heart, though, War Horse is a powerful and rewarding film that evokes comparisons to the best of John Ford.

Rating: 4½ stars / 5