The Polar Express

Destined to become a holiday perennial, The Polar Express also heralded a brave new world of all-digital filmmaking. Critics and audiences were divided between those who hailed it as an instant classic that captures the visual splendor and evocative innocence of Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, and those who felt that the innovative use of "performance capture"--to accurately translate live performances into all-digital characters--was an eerie and not-quite-lifelike distraction from the story's epic-scale North Pole adventure. In any case it's a benign, kind-hearted celebration of the yuletide spirit, especially for kids who have almost grown out of their need to believe in Santa Claus. Tom Hanks is the nominal "star" who performs five different computer-generated characters, but it's the visuals that steal this show, as director Robert Zemeckis indulges his tireless pursuit of technological innovation. No matter how you respond to the many wonders on display, it's clear that The Polar Express represents a significant milestone in the digital revolution of cinema. If it also fills you with the joy of Christmas (in spite of its Nuremberg-like rally of frantic elves), so much the better. --Jeff Shannon

The World of The Polar Express

The book by Chris Van Allsburg
The Soundtrack
The Magic Journey (Polar Express the Movie) (book)

Stills from Polar Express (click for larger image)

When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Customer Reviews:

Best viewed in IMAX or similar environments
Excellent children's movie, with techno-geek special effects that reach to your "inner nerd". As a story, it's OK but too predictable. That's why it's an excellent kid's movie though.

But like classic cinema, this is something best experienced in a "state of the art" (or is it now "state of the technology"?) viewing and listening environment. The scenes here are not scaled for TV (which, despite the 'big screen' hype, still means less than 1 meter across for most viewers); they're scaled for larger-than-life viewing. The detail and richness of the computer graphics are not maintained when the resolution is only 1050 scan lines (HDTV) and almost completely lost at normal TV resolution levels.

You can still enjoy the DVD, but to get the full "movie magic" experience you will have to go to the nearest IMAX (or equivalent) to see this film.

--2005-12-14

WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS CLASSIC TO BE
A NEW, UPDATED VERSION OF A CHILD'S FALTERING BELIEF IN SANTA AMID THE MOST FASCINATING TRAVEL ABOARD A TRAIN TO THE NORTH POLE. CHARACTERS WERE BOTH WARM AND REALISTICALLY PORTRAYED WITH A BIT OF FANTASY AND MAGIC. ONCE AGAIN BRINGING HOME THE TRUE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS BY THE SONG "IF YOU BELIEVE"...WHICH CULMINATES IN THE RINGING OF THE CHRISTMAS BELL. I WOULD KEEP THIS MOVIE IN THE "FAMILY LIBRARY" OF MARVELOUS CHRISTMAS TALES. TOM HANKS WILL BE FOREVER REMEMBERED IN THIS ONE WHERE HE VIVIDLY PORTRAYS AN ARRAY OF CHARACTERS THAT CAPTURES YOUR HEART.
--2005-12-13

- Ingram Entertainment