A fun, wholesome, holiday film

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2004)

It's so tough to review a film made for kids. I'm far enough removed from my childhood that I won't necessarily enjoy all the same movies that I would have enjoyed when I was young. Unlike the Pixar films, this is one aimed straight at the kids; there is little concern given to whether the adults enjoy themselves at the same time.
The Polar Express tells the story of a boy who is struggling to retain his belief in Santa Clause. On Christmas Eve, a train shows up at his house on its way to the North Pole. The young boy lets his curiosity get the best of him and he boards the bus hoping to meet Santa Clause and regain his belief in all things magical. The film is based on the children's book of the same name.
First of all, isn't it dangerous to lead kids to believe it's OK to get onto a train with strangers? I don't care how much the engineer looks like Tom Hanks, or which Pole is the final destination, or which mythical being the child hopes to meet. We preach to kids that they shouldn't talk to strangers, and here is Robert Zemeckis reprogramming our children. Obviously I doubt this movie will really encourage kids to hop onto trains with strangers, but it was fun to mention.
The animation here is a mixed bag. At times it is frighteningly real, while at other times it is frighteningly creepy. The environments and animals are all stunning. The human characters are much harder to animate in a lifelike manner. A few of the kids look quite real and the emotion they are able to show through simple facial expressions is very impressive. That said, a couple of the kids are downright scary looking. As they would speak, half of me would listen to what they were saying as the other half waited for their head to spin around 360 degrees. Overall, the art definitely doesn't distract; there are far more jaw dropping moments than there are concerns over characters looking scary and stiff.
Director Robert Zemeckis has made a career out of opening our imaginations and reintroducing us to our inner children. He is the creative mind behind Back to the future, Roger Rabbit, and even Forest Gump. This film will feel right at home on his resume. The vivid world he creates in The Polar Express is a pleasure to explore. The train ride in particular is often spectacular as it takes us through mountains and over cliffs at an often breakneck pace. The North Pole is also a fun locale that kids are sure to love. I always enjoy movies by Robert Zemeckis (with a few exceptions) because they are original and imaginative.
Tom Hanks is good as nearly every male voice in the film. The rest of the voice talent does a fine job, never detracting from what's going on. The problem I have with the movie is that the story isn't complex enough to warrant 110 minutes of my time. Much of the film is spent on the train encountering various obstacles that could keep the train from being on time. There are quite a few sequences that felt thrown in simply to extend the runtime of the film. These sequences are validated by the conductor's obsession with being on time. Everything seems to go wrong on the train and the audience is supposed to worry that time is running short. As it turns out, time at the North Pole is much different than time elsewhere. The train arrives 5 minutes before midnight, but the next hour of elapsed film time happens without a single minute ticking away. In fact, a big deal is made of how the time at the North Pole stopped until everyone arrived safely for Santa's appearance. If this is how time works at the magical North Pole, then why was the train in such a hurry? I'll tell you why Â– we needed an extra 40 minutes of filler to reach a nice theatrical runtime. Most kids probably won't mind the delays, but the adults in the audience will be wondering what Zemeckis is waiting for.
In the film, those who believe in Santa are able to hear sleigh bells while those who have lost their belief somewhere along the way can not hear the bells. I think that those who are able to hear the bells will have a great time with The Polar Express. Other, more cynical moviegoers may find that the film drags a bit at times. If you have kids, take them to see The Polar Express. It's a fun, wholesome, holiday film. If you don't have kids and you're craving some animated fun, go see the Incredibles again.
mastercritic.com