War Horse

Guardian“A pre-packaged brand, rather than a movie...” The director's lack of real feeling for the locale or the era could not be more obvious. When the camera initially swoops over those rolling fields of Devon, in their supersaturated shades of green, it might as well be Kentucky...

Radio Times“A uniquely moving odyssey...” Bound to bring tears to every eye, especially the final scenes shot against a burnished sunset, this is Spielberg at his most genuine, effective and heartfelt...

Time Out“A harmless, conventional adaptation...” The main problem is that Spielberg doesn’t solve the conundrum of having an animal at the heart of his film. For Morpurgo, it was a first-horse narration. For the play, it was scene-stealing puppetry. All Spielberg can do is observe the creature...

Total Film “Spielberg serves up a fine equine...” You won’t shed E.T. tears, but War Horse shows Spielberg back in the saddle, in full command of story, setting and characters. If only he laid off that incessant score…

Little White Lies“An unsatisfying fable that fails to engage all ages...” War Horse is a strange sort of hybrid, wounded by the internal tensions between what it might be: bedside story, serious theatre, holiday movie. As a result it seems to underestimate the intelligence of its audience – kids most of all...

Empire“Spielberg has an uncanny knack for divining what audiences want...” War Horse is bold, exquisite family filmmaking in the grandest Hollywood tradition. Be warned: whether you’re a hippophile or not, it’s a four-hankie moviegoing experience...

The Telegraph“What a pleasure it is to have Spielberg back... ” A soaring, sprawling epic that harks back to the dream-big visionaries of old Hollywood...

Evening Standard“His most emotional film since ET...” Many will be moved to tears as one more sunset glows improbably. Fewer will be disappointed by the occasions when this consummately gifted director takes the easy way out to please the crowd without actually stirring them up too much...

The Independent“Nearly every frame of it had me clenched in unhappy resistance... ” It is woefully misconceived, an object lesson in why certain narratives are suited to one medium and not another. To fit the analogy to the subject, he has put this horse up for the wrong race...