Metacritic Movie Ratings
War Horse Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 100

  out of 100

  TimeRichard Corliss

  In his most painterly film, Spielberg has appropriated the lavish visual palette of John Ford movies: "The Quiet Man" for the rural settings, "The Horse Soldiers" for the war scenes. Boldly emotional, nakedly heartfelt, War Horse will leave only the stoniest hearts untouched.

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• 91

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum

  This is a beautifully built, classically framed movie, shot with the unshowy natural expressiveness of a John Ford Western by Spielberg's great cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski.

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• 90

  out of 100

  The New York TimesA.O. Scott

  You may find yourself resisting this sentimental pageant of early-20th-century rural English life, replete with verdant fields, muddy tweeds and damp turnips, but my strong advice is to surrender.

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• 88

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert

  War Horse is bold, not afraid of sentiment and lets out all the stops in magnificently staged action sequences. Its characters are clearly defined and strongly played by charismatic actors. Its message is a universal one.

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• 75

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  War Horse will likely take its place alongside beloved family films. But that doesn't mean sitting through it is pure pleasure. It's a long slog at almost 2½ hours, and occasionally it resorts to obvious sentimentality. At times it's hard to escape the sense that we're watching "Saving Private Ryan"-meets-"The Black Stallion."

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• 70

  out of 100

  The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy

  Whatever its missteps, this is a film that kids, middle-aged adults and grandparents can all see -- together or separately -- and get something out of in their own ways. There are precious few films that fit this description today and hats off to Spielberg for making one.

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• 60

  out of 100

  VarietyJustin Chang

  This beautifully composed picture brings a robust physicality to tried-and-true source material, but falls short of the sustained narrative involvement and emotional drive its resolutely old-fashioned storytelling demands.

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• 60

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey

  Has the sweep of a classic John Ford movie, the sentiment of Frank Capra and a spirited steed named Joey who will steal your heart. The film itself is more difficult to love.

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• 60

  out of 100

  Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern

  The result is a film that may stay in the mind's eye longer than it lingers in the heart.

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• 40

  out of 100

  Village VoiceJ. Hoberman

  Since he's (Spielberg) a director largely incapable of understatement, War Horse is served up with a self-aggrandizing, distracting surplus of Norman Rockwell backlighting, aerial landscape shots designed to out-swoop David Lean's, and an aggravated sense of doggone wonderment amplified by the director's dependence on John Williams's bombastic score.

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