Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron -- G
Starring: James Cromwell, Matt Damon
Directed by: Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook
Showing: Showplace West 12
Sometimes there's nothing better than a good horse love story. Maybe not. "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" could barely hold my attention, let alone the attention of its target audience -- children. You cannot help but wonder what the underlying message of this movie is. It's not about horses at all. While you can't pinpoint exactly what it is, it will keep you guessing.
There are a whopping four named characters in this animated film about a horse torn away from his family by the evil white men and then rescued by the kind and caring Native Americans. It isn't long before the evil white men cause more drama. Thrown into the middle of all this is the love story between Spirit (who isn't ever officially named) and Rain, a horse living with the Native Americans.
In the spirit of animated films (no pun intended), I assumed the horses would talk. They don't say a word! While Spirit narrates the film periodically, the horses only communicate like real horses do, without words. How fun and entertaining is that? Matt Damon narrates the film as Spirit, but the dialogue in the entire film couldn't have filled more than a single-spaced typed page.
"Spirit" tried its hardest to warm the heart and make you cry. It's amazing because coming from a 21-year-old who still cries every time she sees "Beauty & The Beast," I'd have to say that I didn't even come close to crying. And I didn't laugh once. I might as well have stayed at home and watched horses on Animal Planet. I have a lot of trouble figuring out how the directors expect children to sit through the movie.
The only reason it's worth watching is to try and figure out the real message behind the movie. A love story? No. A story of determination and freedom? Not exactly. Words like racism and slavery kept popping into my mind throughout the film. A soundtrack by Bryan Adams and horses that don't talk make "Spirit" a boring and tiring film.
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