We just got back from War Horse

This ended up being rather long so I’ll hide it

My god I have never cried more at a movie in my life. I’m not normally a blubber but this one really got to me. Even after the credits rolled I couldn’t stop myself.

It doesn’t really make sense because I read, and loved, the book as a kid and so knew everything that happened and how it ended and had already cried over everything once. But I connected more with the people when the story wasn’t narrated by Joey the horse and it became more about them and hence, I think for me at least, why there were so many more tears

I was lulled into a false sense of security because I really didn’t connect with the movie to begin with. The farm scenes just felt like Spielberg had watched Babe one too many times and whilst it was likeable enough I just felt kind of meh. But then that all changed as soon as Joey goes off and then it seems like there’s one tragedy after another.

I really should have waited for it to come out on DVD so I could have stopped it to sob when the first really sad thing happens. Then maybe I could have gotten it out of my system without having to reach for my hankie (not teasing mum about this again) every couple of minutes for the rest of the film.

It also really got to me because my great grandfather was in the Devon regiment, fought at the Somme and so that was a little close to home.

The war scenes are so effectively shot. There’s no blood at all but I think this was the most disturbed I’ve felt watching something like that. The first battle was particularly stressful to watch because I spent the whole time becoming increasingly stressed because of the fact I knew what happened when the British sent boys with swords on horses up against guns. 

That all disregards the really lovely moments and characters which the movie has plenty of as well. And they’re kind of the problem because if it was just sustained darkness I probably could have eventually gotten a grip on myself. But there were laughs and also Benedict Cumberbatch’s moustache brightened any scene it was in. It got to the point where I was crying a kind of happy tears when a certain really good thing happened just because it was so lovely to see something so warm and good during such a bleak time.

So basically Spielberg did a really good job at least with me because the movie is obviously meant to make you cry. But it’s also full of really good performances and the cinematography is absolutely amazing. The music however is ridiculously heavy handed and there were parts of the movie where it just really didn’t fit (particularly the opening, Devon is pretty but it’s a different kind of pretty than the flashy loud music was evoking.)