--- title: "War Horse: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/war-horse/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/war-horse" critics_score: 58 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # War Horse (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 58 from 17 reviews: 8 positive, 4 mixed, 5 negative. ## Empire — Ian Freer Rating 4/5. 4 January 2012. Spielberg delivers bold, exquisite family filmmaking in the grandest Hollywood tradition, channeling classic movie traditions with virtuoso direction and emotional sincerity. The film excels in its sweeping combat sequences and tender human moments amid the horse's journey, though it may not match his more complex works. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/war-horse-review/) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 16 December 2011. Spielberg's most potent and poetic work in years captures the power of wordless images in its epic tale of a boy and his horse amid WWI, evoking classic Hollywood simplicity despite some missing anchors. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/war-horse-1) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2011. The critic describes it as a grandly made, tear-jerking film for all audiences in the style of old Hollywood, praising its universal themes and Spielberg's cinematic skill in capturing the boy-and-horse story against a war backdrop. He notes that the film accentuates the story's one-dimensionality and sentimentality compared to the stage version. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/war-horse-film-review-274354/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2011. The critic urges surrender to the film's sincere, old-fashioned emotional appeals and its tribute to honest storytelling traditions. The sweeping adaptation is praised for its cinematic craft and ability to move audiences despite potential cynicism. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/movies/war-horse-directed-by-steven-spielberg-review.html) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2011. War Horse is a wholesome, nostalgic throwback that feels purpose-built for Spielberg's heart-plucking style, with enthralling battle scenes and old-fashioned appeal. It stumbles in pacing early on and with an overindulgent score, but delivers a picaresque tale of endurance that engages despite some actor limitations. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/war-horse-review/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 4/3/3. 13 January 2012. Spielberg delivers a hybrid of stage-influenced theatricality and cinematic war spectacle that feels over-sentimental and bloodless, with flashes of brilliance in the battle scenes undermined by cheesy dialogue and lack of nuance. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/war-horse) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2011. A middle-of-the-road, old-fashioned melodrama with rigidly prescribed emotional beats and artificial uplift that offers little to get passionately excited about, though technically polished and likely to appeal to awards voters and fans of sweeping epics. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/war-horse/5035755.article) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2011. Spielberg delivers a calculated and overly sentimental adaptation that imposes a directorial straitjacket on the story. The battle scenes stand out for their visceral impact and sensitivity to human cost. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/dec/21/war-horse-film-review) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 25 December 2011. The film is called bland and unimaginative in its realistic approach, turning an animal story trivial amid war's carnage, though epic battle sequences suggest Spielberg could have made a great WWI movie. The magnificent horses are singled out as perhaps reason enough to see it. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/02/battle-stations-david-denby) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2011. The epic family drama about a boy and horse is the purest sort of love story with great beauty and emotional power, especially in war sequences where the horse shines. The film is difficult to love overall due to being too literal-minded and underplaying the leads' gravitas. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-dec-23-la-et-war-horse-20111223-story.html) ## The Independent — Anthony Quinn Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2012. The film is woefully misconceived as an adaptation, losing the magic of the stage puppet horse in favor of a literal but plodding realistic version that fails to capture the story's theatrical quality. While some battle sequences showcase Spielberg's skill with war imagery, the episodic narrative and sentimental finale feel mismatched to the medium. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/war-horse-12a-6288768.html) ## Paste — David Roark Rating 8.7. 19 December 2011. Praises it as a poignant, humanistic film with redemptive qualities, highlighting the bond between boy and horse and Spielberg's optimistic vision. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/war-horse) ## NME — Daniel Martin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2012. The film is heroically sentimental and skillfully pushes emotional buttons, succeeding as an uplifting yet devastating portrayal of WWI through the horse's eyes, with elegant direction and wonderful performances. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/war-horse-review-780364) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2011. Spielberg delivers a moving blend of emotion and spectacle that tugs at the heartstrings while acknowledging the devastation of WWI, with strong performances and a reminder of his versatility. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a354226/war-horse-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C-. 24 December 2011. The critic finds the film compromised by avoiding the true horror of war, using the horse for vignettes that don't feel personal. Praises the cinematography and performances but criticizes the score. [Read the review](https://collider.com/war-horse-review/) ## Den of Geek — Michael Leader Rating 2 out of 5. 20 December 2011. The critic finds the film overly sentimental and fails to make the horse a compelling protagonist, criticizing the lumpy screenplay and lack of emotional depth despite impressive visuals and cast cameos. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/war-horse-review-4/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2011. The critic finds the film hollow and bombastic, with Spielberg's direction and collaborators relentlessly manipulating emotions through music, visuals, and heightened stakes rather than trusting the story or cast. A few lovely scenes stand out amid the plodding shamelessness and overdone theatrics. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/spielberg-pulls-audience-nose-manipulative-war-horse-33825/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/war-horse.md