When I was trying to decide what horse books to buy as a Christmas present to the horse-crazy girl I nanny for, I decided to read War Horse, a children's book that has been on my reading list since I learned there was a movie coming out.  I read the book in a day and a half, and went right out and bought a copy for the girl I take care of.

A couple of days later, I read the New York Times review of War Horse, and learned that the movie was coming to theaters on Christmas Day.  I suppose you probably won't be surprised to learn that I dragged my husband to the theaters on opening day!  In fact, I dragged him there twice -- once in the afternoon, only to learn it was sold out, and again that night for the latest showing they had.  (As full as the theater was that afternoon, that's how empty it was at 10:40.  Hubby and I were two of only 6 or 7 people in the theater that night.)

Although a horse owner and fellow boarder at my barn commented that she would have wanted to see "more horse, less war," I was unsurprised at the amount of war scenes in the movie, probably because I had read the book and knew what to expect.  And, with a few minor exceptions, the movie was pretty true to the book.  It is definitely a war movie, but it's also a horse movie, and the story of said horse through said war (and said horse's owner's attempts to find his horse and get him back).  It's the story of the love between a horse and his owner, one I think many horse lovers will appreciate, whether or not they own a horse (though I do think owning one, and having a close relationship with one, makes the story all that much more poignant).

The filming is also beautifully done.  All of the scenes in the English countryside in the beginning are actually filmed on a set, with the lighting and other characteristics of an old movie.  The war scenes are more modern-looking, loud and busy and scary, although they also gloss over some of the more upsetting or violent moments: When Joey's first rider in the war is killed, for example, you see the guns pointing at him, and then the scene switches to one of Joey suddenly alone and riderless, fleeing through the woods.  It's tasteful and well-done, capturing Spielberg's usual talent for filming more movies, but making it a little more family-friendly than his others.

There are some tough scenes to watch, especially for horse lovers -- horrible things happen to horses during war, and while the movie only touches upon some of those things, they aren't happy for adults who realize the full extent of what is being implied.  In addition, there is a scene with barbed wire that had me cringing and cowering in my seat.  But overall, it's a wonderful horse movie with a powerful story, and -- in my opinion -- a new classic in the subgenre.