‘War Horse’ is Steven Spielberg’s Pegasus

It’s all there, but now, added to the equation is a strange creature, that of a thoroughbred horse that is so anthropomorphized throughout the two-and-a-half-hour film that you can’t help but feel utterly sorry for this beautiful animal even though the film, much like Spielberg’s other films, offers a happy and righteous ending.

Joey is the name of this animal. We first witness him being born in the fields of England’s Devon in the early 20th century, then running wild in the countryside until he is auctioned in a village. Farmer Ted Narracott (the wonderful Peter Mullen) is a drunk farmer who is at the auction to buy a plow horse, but when he sees Joey he cannot help himself and spends most of his savings to take him home. Wife Rose (Emily Watson) is not happy with the result, but their young son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) immediately falls in love with the horse and promises to train him to plow.

It will not be an easy task, but Albert’s unconditional love for the creature -- if you ask me a bit too borderline to call it real love -- will make Joey prove everyone wrong as he adamantly plows through the rough fields.

This first sequence is only the beginning of Joey’s miraculous nature and his mission of symbolizing Spielberg’s everlasting belief in individuals overcoming the most horrific of circumstances.

When World War I breaks out, to Albert’s dismay, father Ted sells Joey to the army. The pure English gentleman army officer who buys him is Captain Nicolls (Tom Hiddleston), who himself is in awe of the horse and compassionately promises Albert that he will return him at the end of the war. But we all know that the coming of the Great War is one that will ruin everyone’s lives, even Joey’s, whose real journey will begin as he is changed hands throughout the coming years.

In an amazing battle sequence in which the English cavalry attack the German barracks, Joey’s fate will change and he will end up as an ambulance driver for the German army along with his other horse friend. This equine friendship will break your heart; in a story about how war so cruelly damages the lives of humans, we find ourselves empathizing most with the camaraderie of two animals.

Cruelty will not forget Joey, even though he lands in the loving hands of a French farm girl and her grandfather for a period, he will once again be taken by the German army to pull cannons that are beyond his capacity. We will watch his spirit being destroyed amongst the barbed wires of the frontlines. Enter other set-pieces that remind us of “Saving Private Ryan.”

But let’s not forget that this is a Spielberg film after all and Joey, who has endured what no other horse can, is a “miraculous horse” and sooner or later, with a climax that proves that all humanity is not lost, will again find his rightful owner, Albert.

Enter once again the John Williams epic score as Albert rides his beautiful horse in the sunset in a grand master shot that evokes a John Wayne movie.

“War Horse” is a visceral experience. The film delivers exactly what it promises and nothing more -- an emotional whirlpool in the viewer as he/she wishes for triumph for a very gentle, courageous and rather uncomplicated creature who surely deserves his place in heaven.

While there are many ambiguous, dark and layered human characters in this movie, we are never left with them long enough to be interested in their stories. That is truly a shame because while Joey is possibly the nicest horse you will ever see, he is also an immensely boring one. It is this strange discrepancy between human and animal characters of the film that makes “War Horse” a film that seems indecisive in its structure and form -- even though its heart is open and clear.

The film’s narrative seems too dark for children to bear and at the same time too lightweight for adults.

Joey represents what we would like to see in the animals we love -- a better and kinder version of ourselves as humans. He is appropriated with so many angelic qualities that it starts to become a tad too surreal. But this is Spielberg, and Joey is a war horse, which means he can never be just a horse, he must be like Pegasus, a constellation of stars in the sky.

‘War Horse’

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Genre: drama

Cast: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch