I strongly urge parents to see this first before even considering bringing any children (any age). The movie was disturbing on many levels. The bodies being blown 20 feet in the air were graphic enough, but the tragedies happening to the horses were even worse and extremely torturous. I've read the horse was supposedly conscripted into the army, but actually the alcoholic father sold him after the game horse and son plowed his rocky land to save his farm after he drank up the payment again (plus he tried to repeatedly shoot the horse before that, so definitely a disgusting father image created). The mother is obviously an enabler of the father's alcohol use and tries to defend why he needs to drink, after he tried to kill the horse again). The war scenes show piles of rotting horses cast in piles after being worked to death or collapsing and then shot, and others' bodies littering huge fields after being mowed down by gatling guns. And then the torture and beatings and some cruel horse handlers, then hope that someone kind is going to help the horses, then a few minutes later that's gone and the horrors return. There is the scene of a 14 yr old boy and his brother being executed for desertion, the prolonged close-up viewing of a horse encased like a mummy in barbed wire...the face, the legs, the body, and the horse falling off the trench wall he tried to leap, landing on his back. And then he finally gets back to the British and they try to shoot him in the head just before his past owner finds him (owner temporarily blinded by mustard gas exposure and facing probable carcinogenous future. I spent much of the time saying Oh My God and debating if I should walk out or just keep frequently covering my eyes. I wish I had left. And the last ten minutes, when you think it's finally going to get some happier emotions going, you find out what happened to the Frenchman's granddaughter, so even that's spoiled. Despite a great score by Williams, and a "Gone with the Wind sunset" depicted at the end, this film might well give your children (and you) nightmares for a long time. I;ve had horses for decades, and see all the horse movies; this is by far the most horrific one I've ever seen. I cannot believe a director with children, knowing kids will probably go to this movie, would be willing to show these scenes to them. Be prepared to have some lengthy talks with the kids after seeing this. Better yet, skip it and go rent Secretariat or some other less horrific horse story. The few positive things in this movie are not enough to warrant showing it to your kids...or even you.

Great movie - BUT war scenes are INTENSE (not bloody but very realistic looking - and LONG), therefore, my recommendation is that this movie is for 12+ year olds only. The story is very heartfelt, but younger kids will be bored with the dialog and will not be able to sit still for the entire lenght of this movie. Don't be fooled that this is a "Disney-like" feel good movie - it is not. Beautiful photography and deep meaning. Teen boys and girls will like this movie.

I took my 8 1/2 son to see War Horse and had done some research ahead of time (at this website(YA!)). The violence was not prolific throughout. There was only one extremely violent scene towards the end were you see what the WWI trench warfare was really like. I talked with my son about it afterward and that seemed to be ok. He has seen Iron Man, and other more cartoon violence, but this one was more realistic. What I would have done differently in not taking him, is viewers really need to have a basic knowledge of WWI history to understand what is going on better. And not to just "you will enjoy it more if you know it, but it really doesn't matter", you do really need to know WWI history to know what is going on. However it is very basic history is what you need. It was between the England and Germany (know what there helmets looked liked) and time is spent is france (that is what her accent is so that is where they are). An 8 year old hasn't been exposed to that in school so I had to explain to him what each scene was because (spoiler, kind of) you follow the horse through the war. It was a very good movie but I wouldn't have taken him, had I known this.

This movie is way too intense for children. I covered my eyes during at least three scenes because of blatant cruelty to the horses. The war scenes are interminable - they simply go on forever. I was exhausted when I left the theatre. The movie was poignant but not enjoyable. If your teen is at all sensitive I would not let them see this movie. Another reviewer gave good advice when she suggested parents see it first and then decide how appropriate it is for your children.

I read the reviews here to see if I should take my 9 year old. While some were concerned, justifiably, about the movie's violence, I was pleasantly surprised that the message far outweighed the violence. After all, it IS called WAR horse! Considering the possibilities, Spielberg did a remarkable job of keeping the grittiness of war while still making the movie viewable by upper elementary kids. Besides, preventing wars by sheltering our children entirely from them is akin to preventing disease by never letting the kids out of the house: at some point, you have to let them build up immunity or they will be sitting ducks when they enter the real world. This movie is great fodder for starting discussions with your child. After we watched it, I asked my son if he had questions, and they were: why do they shoot wounded horses? And why did the soldiers take the grandpa and the girl's food? In the end, I was glad I went into this movie with my eyes wide open. If I hadn't had the background before going, I would not have enjoyed it nearly as much. And I was extremely glad to at least have a starting point to discuss war with my son. My only complaints have to do with some believability issues and the movie's length. But for a tweener with a decent amount of maturity, I wouldn't hesitate. The inaccuracies and suspension of belief are much more tolerable to the younger than they are to the older and wiser. I am a parent of a 14, 11, and 9 year old. I am a 20+ year teaching veteran with a Master's degree. I hope you have found my review helpful.

ok

Amazing story of love, dedication, and triumph. Whole family enjoyed it!

It's a fantastic movie!! Films like this are not appreciated anymore. It's a very strong film and I enjoyed it a lot. (Quite a tear jerker) I do think that the themes could possibly be too strong for SOME children and perhaps a deferent movie would be a better option. You must remember that it's a drama/war film. But it is definitely worth the watch.

This is a good old-fashioned movie, which not only depicts the history of World War I in a realistic way, which Americans are sometimes protected from, but also does not shy away from human emotion and heart-rending joy. Spielberg masterfully depicts war without resorting to gore, and is not afraid to be unabashedly sentimental in the bond between the horse and everyone who loves him. Joey is truly courageous! My teenage son, my husband, and I absolutely loved it!