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<p>This adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's best-selling novel-turned-hit West End/Broadway play of the same title is Steven Spielberg's most impressive film in 13 years and reaffirms the fact that nobody better juxtaposes epic and intimate stories than he. This story World War I -- like his earlier war-set films Empire of the Sun (1987), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998) -- masterfully captures the massive scale of the conflict while never losing sight of the individuals at its center, and is ultimately less about the grievances of the opposing parties than the desires of those individuals to reunite with their fractured families (and, in this case, equine best friend). The real star of this film is Joey, the horse, whose journey serves as the spine of the film, and through whom we come to meet an impressive ensemble of international actors -- none especially showy or amazing, but all well cast -- who intermittently serve as his guardian, including 21-year-old Englishman Jeremy Irvine, 21-year-old German David Kross, and 15-year-old Frenchwoman Celine Buckens. John Ford-esque in its look (as shot by the great Janusz Kaminski), sound (with an omnipresent booming score by John Williams), and unabashed corniness (a feisty goose, a single teardrop, an ever-present ribbon, a family embrace in silhouette), this is old-fashioned filmmaking in the best sense of the phrase.</p>
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