OMG, just seen the film War Horse..

Shysmum

Shysmum

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:eek: Oh dear. Lassie meets Saving Private Ryan. We got one hour into this, a much anticipated film for me, and I had to switch off. I had really, really wanted to enjoy this film (and cry buckets)

It was (to me) truly smaltzy and sickly. Totally unwatchable. :rolleyes:

Did anyone like it ?
 
I was determined to like it as it involved a rare trip to the cinema with my daughter. :)

I thought it was a somewhat daft "Black Beauty Goes To War" with a bit of Lassie thrown in (I haven't seen Private Ryan). Utterly unbelievable and far-fetched, but technically stunning in parts.

Watching it with Sonia was fun though. We took a box of tissues, suspended our disbelief and indulged in a big sentimental mother/daughter sob-fest. :redface3:
 
I enjoyed the second half, thought it gave an interesting insight into the effects of war on the differing people who went through it. The horses were a nice side line but I liked it as a war film first and foremost.

(the first half was a bit sickly sweet though, boy and his horse, blurgh!)
 
Agree, I thought it was really poor. Didn't even seem to hang together or progress properly...enjoyed the horses though, and it was my second date with my now fiancé, so I wasn't remotely fussed :)
 
We turned off when Joey insisted on pulling the guns instead of his mate the black stallion. Does it get any better after that ?

I am so sad about it, as we saw a War Horse documentary last week, that was purely a film of what happened. No smaltz about it. If they survived the war, they were shot anyway. I guess I expected this to be a bit more realistic.

That was why I bought the damned film, lol.

ps would LOVE to see the stage show.
 
Shysmum said:
We turned off when Joey insisted on pulling the guns instead of his mate the black stallion. Does it get any better after that ?
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Hahahaha I honestly think that's the silliest bit of all. I did have difficulty not snorting out loud in the cinema. :D
 
Flame_ said:
I thought it was rubbish too.
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although in its defense it does have Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch one screen together, I will watch the whole movie just for that bit!

Hello boys!
war-horse8.jpg
 
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The stage version was FAR better than the film - though to be honest both had their shortcomings. I cried buckets in the stage show - but that was because one of the choreographers lived in our village, and used my cob mare as a model for a lot of the horsy gestures.
 
I'd best not tell you what my friend and her sisters call Benedict Cumberbatch or I'll get myself a ban, let's just say the first bit of his surname is the same and the second bit rhymes.

I've purposely avoided the film because I didn't want to be snivelling wreck but I'm extra glad I didn't watch it now!
 
The horse wasn't a very convincing actor. The whole time I could almost see the trainer off camera, giving cues to him so he performed the right behaviours at the right time. He needs to taking acting lessons from the horses in the Lord of the Rings.
 
Caol Ila said:
The horse wasn't a very convincing actor. The whole time I could almost see the trainer off camera, giving cues to him so he performed the right behaviours at the right time. He needs to taking acting lessons from the horses in the Lord of the Rings.
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Yeah but they were magic ones, right? :)
 
I enjoyed it and it did have me in floods of tears in the cinema - but yes, it was incredibly cheesy in parts and I wish it had been more realistic as bits of it were unbelievably bad!
 
Awwww, I enjoyed it and had a good cry! I though parts of it were beautifully done too. The two boys being shot for cowardice and the cavalry charging the machine guns spring to mind and are making me cry just thinking of them!! I'm a history nerd though, and the futility and waste of life throughout the war is always in my mind. Agree with the first bit of boy and horse though...I could live without that! And Joey ploughing the field made me cringe...

The book is excellent, a real tear jerker. You have to bear in mind it is a children's book though!
 
The book is a great childrens book, sad enough to be convincing but with a happy ending that doesnt feel artificial. The play is for adults really, its got some additional dark stuff and the happy ending just feels tacked on. The pupetry is amazing though. Its obvious that the people doing it have spent hours and hours watching horses move. I'm intrested they used another posters cob for it.
I was abroad when the play first came out, but my boyfriend took me last year as part of an adult horse day. We went to the TB/Arab exebition at the British Museum, then had a candle lit picnick in russel square (compleate with umbrellas as it was raining) and on to the second cheepist seets at War Horse, so Polos for him :)
 
I cried through a lot of the stage production it was totally amazing so went to the cinema with a big box of tissues and didn't shed one tear. Disappointed :(
 
I think horsey people take it too seriously. I enjoyed it at face value without thinking whether it was realistic or not (wish mine would come running when I whistled!) it's a bit like saying Lion King isn't realistic! I liked it although I suppose I am slightly bias as my cousin worked on the special effects side.
 
There are plenty of children's films that I love (eg Labyrinth, Princess Bride, Megamind...) and some that I cannot stand, sadly War Horse fits into the latter category, which is a huge shame as it had so much promise. It has horses, darker elements due to being set during WW1 and the happy ending isn't a problem in itself as long as it works. However Spielberg just turned it into a saccharine mess. Such an opportunity missed.
 
Seen it once, loved it, cried too much, wont watch it again because i know which bits are coming up and i will cry again. Those poor horses pulling those armoured wagons up the hill and collapsing.
 
Shysmum said:
:eek: Oh dear. Lassie meets Saving Private Ryan. We got one hour into this, a much anticipated film for me, and I had to switch off. I had really, really wanted to enjoy this film (and cry buckets)

It was (to me) truly smaltzy and sickly. Totally unwatchable. :rolleyes:

Did anyone like it ?
Click to expand...

I agree, I thought it was terrible.

I LOVE the book (and Private Peaceful, and Farm Boy which the shooting for cowardice and ploughing the field bits were loosely based on) and really looked forward to the film, but it was just sickly sweet, totally unrealistic and unbelievable, and just really patronising to the viewer and badly done. And the bits they changed (like how Albert finds joey at the end) were much better and more powerful in the book.

Plus, joey was about 13.2 for the first part of the film.

And don't even get me STARTED on The Hobbit film...!
 
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