'Enthralling' First World War epic captivates fans as BBC viewers urged to watch

A WWI film is set to land on BBC iPlayer imminently and represents essential viewing for cinema enthusiasts, reports the Daily Record, as others have enjoyed a "fantastic" WWII TV show and another film that's left audiences in tears.

The picture debuted in 2011 and secured multiple Oscar nominations.

Numerous viewers have lauded the film on IMDb, with one individual sharing a 10/10 review entitled: "A Stunning and Enthralling Epic."

They continued to elaborate: "The film is uncompromisingly sentimental, and I wasn't annoyed by it. Because it worked so well, it made me care about the story, the characters, the horses."

They further commented: "There are a lot of powerful scenes in the movie, from which I cried. It was just so moving, it showed the true consequences of war. Some of the battle sequences were simply fantastic and astonishing."

Another rave review bore the title: "A truly exceptional film about courage in both man and beast."

The reviewer observed: "This is a wonderful "against all odds" inspirational story about courage and relationships. A horse of truly amazing spirit touches the lives of so many during War I - including British soldiers, German soldiers, French civilians and even other horses."

A third viewer declared the blockbuster "simply delightful" and remarked: "I went to see this movie expecting NOT to like it. But, for 2 hours and 15 mins I was totally enthralled."

One top-tier review revealed: "I was expecting this movie to be just another extravagant sentimental potboiler. Wow, was I surprised. This is a great movie. The title says the movie is about a horse, but it's really about a lot more than that. The horse plays a central role but the humans figure in the story too, in a big way."

War Horse was brought to life by the legendary director Steven Spielberg, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel and its 2007 stage iteration of the same name.

The narrative centres around young Albert Narracott (portrayed by Jeremy Irvine), who forms an intimate bond with a horse named Joey, purchased at an auction by his farmer father.

However, as World War I breaks out, Joey is conscripted into the cavalry to aid the war effort.

War Horse traces Joey's journey through the trenches, witnessing the atrocities of the conflict from both sides.

Initially too young to enlist and reunite with Joey, Albert eventually becomes a soldier when he reaches the legal age.

Boasting a star-studded cast including Emily Watson from Chernobyl, Sherlock and Doctor Strange's Benedict Cumberbatch, Harry Potter's David Thewlis, Outlander: Blood of My Blood actor Peter Mullan, Tom Hiddleston of The Night Manager fame, Black Mirror's Toby Kebbell, Robert Emms from Atlantis and Ray Donovan's Eddie Marsan, it's a film not to be missed.

War Horse is fronted by Outlander: Blood of My Blood star Irvine, who portrays time traveller and WWI veteran Henry Beauchamp in the fresh Starz series.

The Spielberg blockbuster marked the actor's first appearance in a feature film at the tender age of 21 when he was chosen from hundreds of other hopefuls by the renowned Hollywood director.

The Outlander prequel series made its debut last week and fans can catch a glimpse of the star back in the trenches in the first two episodes of Blood of My Blood.

War Horse is streaming on BBC iPlayer from 1.45pm today