War Horse

Equine aficionados can marvel at War Horse, but they aren’t the only viewers who can appreciate this old-fashioned story of wartime heroism from director Steven Spielberg.

In many ways, it feels like the type of sweeping epic that was popular during the 1940s, both visually and conceptually, starting with the opening shots of horses playfully running through rolling hills and green pastures.

The story begins in England during the outbreak of World War I, when a young farmer named Albert (Jeremy Irvine) has his prized horse Joey, who he tamed and trained, sold to the French cavalry by his father (Peter Mullan) in order to pay a debt. His family, including Albert’s supportive mother (Emily Watson), feel certain they will never see the animal again.

Albert later enlists in the military, but the film concentrates on the adventures of Joey, who experiences the difficulties of the war in various ways as he’s passed between French farmers, German soldiers and others, touching the lives of everyone he meets in one way or another.

The film packs a punch for horse lovers who can admire the animal for his courage and resilience. But there’s also a human story that is both charming and poignant, even if the plot is driven by too many coincidences that stretch its credibility.

The supremely polished production values are credited to some of Spielberg’s frequent Oscar-winning collaborators, most notably the gorgeous cinematography by Janusz Kaminski and the majestic score by John Williams. Also on board are editor Michael Kahn and production designer Rick Carter.

The script by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) and Richard Curtis (Love Actually), based on a children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo that also has been adapted for the stage, is simple and straightforward but certainly not the average boy-and-his-horse story.

What starts out as a modest crowd-pleaser about a boy’s love for his pet turns into a more ambitious war picture complete with grand-scale battle sequences and soldiers on the front lines that runs the emotional gamut.

The episodic structure of War Horse is uneven by nature, with some vignettes more touching than others as the horse moves from one temporary owner to the next.

Even though the outcome is predictable, however, it’s a film that is more about the journey than the destination.

Rated PG-13, 146 minutes.