Writer: Mitchell Wong

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Watch this if you liked: “Seabiscuit” & “Water For Elephants”

Directed by 6-time Academy Award winner for Best Director, Steven Spielberg, comes "War Horse" based on a children's story that tells a tale of a horse from a small farm surviving through World War I between England and Germany.

Truly the story is a touching and inspirational one, seeing a son of a poor farmer, Albert Narracot who is played by Jeremy Irvine, befriending a wild young horse named Joey, who is bought by his father with intentions to use it for ploughing the fields. The heartwarming friendship between man and the delicate beast doesn't last long though, as Joey (much to Albert's chagrin) gets sold to the British Army by Tedd Narracot (Peter Mullan), Albert's father, to be under the care of Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston of "Thor") for a battalion of soldiers charging toward a German camping ground.

Irvine portrayed the horse-loving Albert well, with various scenes showing such comfort between the actor and the mighty animal. Albert was seen training Joey with patience and kindness which made it very clear that his facial expressions were full of love and admiration for the horse. Sadly though, for those who are particular with pronunciation, the script was poorly presented. Possibly because of the strong accents which occasionally make viewers confused about the spoken dialogues.

There will be times audiences would feel a surge to applaud the cinematographers of the film for their stunning takes of the horse's emotional expressions, as well as the lush landscape of the moors, and also the gritty battlefield. It's no wonder the movie managed to get nominated for 6 Oscars for the upcoming 84th Academy Awards this February 2012.

"War Horse" in short, is a lengthy epic tale about the journey of a horse and an odyssey of joy, sorrow, passionate friendship, and adventure it encounters. This film is unexplainable through words as the emotions in the film are not easily conveyed. There are no spectacular plots in the movie which would make you rush to see it, but then again, inspirational and touching tales are told deep within the film. Curiously, just like the other 'horse-y' tale back in 2003, "Seabiscuit", which gained 7 Academy Award nomination nods but failed to win any, it remains to be seen if "War Horse" can battle its way through for a win this year.

Cinema Online, 30 January 2012