War Horse

Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo and the stage play by Nick Stafford, Steven Spielberg's War Horse is an extraordinary journey of courage and friendship as seen through the eyes of one unforgettable horse named Joey and his miraculous journey to find his way back home. Based on the Tony Award®-winning play, this is a story of incredible friendship, loyalty, courage, hope, and tenacity, set against the sweeping canvas of World War I. This deeply heartfelt tale begins with the remarkable friendship between a feisty colt named Joey and his young trainer Albert (Irvine). When they're forced apart by war, the film follows Joey's extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets. No matter where they go or what they experience, both boy and horse keep forging ahead, driven by devotion and the hope of returning home. War Horse was nominated for multi Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing, but unbelievably did not win a single award. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the documentary War Horse: The Journey Home (HD 19:35); five featurettes: An Extra's Point Of View (HD 03:06), A Filmmaking Journey (HD 64:03), Editing And Scoring (HD 08:53), The Sounds Of War Horse (HD 07:13) and Through The Producer's Lens (HD 04:04); up-front previews; and a digital copy.

The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture is filled with spectacularly rich visuals captured by Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, which exhibit a strong cinematic appearance, with a slight filmic grain structure. The color palette is warmly natural, with vivid hues and strong primaries. Bold, dense hues depicting the green landscapes in England against deep blue skies are absolutely beautiful. And Joey is such a beautiful horse who steals every scene with his brilliant shiny chestnut brown coat. Fleshtones are perfectly natural and exhibit an aliveness that makes for enhanced realism. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail exhibited in elaborate tone work, Joey's accents, facial features, hair, clothing, and all manner of object texture, including armaments and artillery. Contrast is well balanced with deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation. The overall feel is "classic," with an effective "aged" appearance. The visual impact is transportive to the era depicted in the storytelling. This is an absolutely engaging visual experience that delivers a warmly pleasing experience. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 7.1-channel soundtrack is a powerful expression of a war-torn time with at times a dynamic, powerful presentation supported with dimensional atmospherics and sound effects mostly positioned in the extra two channels. Such effects can occur in the .1 LFE channel with intense and energized sub-25 Hz bass, particularly during heavy arterial bombardment. The effects provide wonderful surround envelopment, and when all the elements are engaged, the spatial experience is holosonic®. Foley effects are impressively synchronized with the on-screen visuals and convey excellent nuanced response and definition. Dialogue is always intelligible but is often wanting in spatial integration from ADR overdubbing. John Williams' orchestral score is sweeping and dynamic, with a wide and deep soundstage presence recorded by Shawn Murphy that aggressively extends to the surround channels, sans the two extra channels. The infantry battle scene in 1918 is an incredible sonic onslaught of the treacherous nature of war, with an exceptional directionalized and aggressive soundfield energized with armaments, gunfire, and artillery. This is a real challenge for any home theatre sound system to reproduce the incredible dynamics layered into the sound design. This is a very powerful and engaging sonic experience with a diversity of soundscapes that really captures the emotional impact of the heartwarming story. (Gary Reber)