I *really* wanted to like this movie

Rating: 3/10 (6 December 2006)

I like Tom Hanks, as an actor, I think he has done some of the best work of this generation. I like CGI - as a techno-nut, I think that it is just totally cool what can be done with computers and I love Christmas - that time of year when it seems like it is "ok" to put other people ahead of ourselves for awhile. But I gave this movie a low rating, why?
What is Christmas to you? Getting and giving gifts? Does it stop there? We are asked - nay ordered! to believe but not it seems in the spirit of Christmas, but rather the spirit of giving and perhaps they are the same but, for me, the overwhelming message of the season is JOY and joy is mighty hard to come by in this film.
Tom H does all the main characters - interesting but ... interesting. There are some casual "hip" social references that are not needed but included nonetheless.
Technically, I have no arguments with the quality - though the effort to create super realistic characters was creepy - was it just me or was the little girl a hunchback? - that much realism, why not just use human actors and use the cgi for effects? IMO, the most interesting characters were the brakeman and engineer - they looked semi-real but unreal enough to add an air of whimsy and other-worldliness to the film - to add a bit of childlike wonder to a pedestrian "message movie".
If you are looking for nuance, look elsewhere - the filmmakers determined the message and it is delivered like a pole-ax between the eyes. You know from the beginning how things will turn out and if that is what you seek in a film, this film will not disappoint.
So, how do we get to a three?
Story - 4 Technical - 5 - less realism in a magic movie is a plus Message - 4 - frequency of delivery does not add depth Magic - 2 too much effort to make the characters look "real" Fun factor -1