For me, POLAR EXPRESS is the Best Ever 3-D, Best Ever I-Max and is 100% magical!

Rating: 9/10 (12 November 2004)

Being a professional film buff (I work for the Library of Congress, Motion Picture Conservation Center and have seen 7k+ films so far) I went to see this 140 million dollar holiday feature with mixed expectations. My conclusion is that the critics that don't like it don't get it. My girlfriend and I got it big time on a 30ft tall IMAX screen using polarized (the good kind) 3-D glasses! I can only image that seeing it in 2-D would entertain, but also make you want to see it again in that stunning third dimension. There are some good, some bad and just a few excellent films made in 3-D or IMAX. This one gets everything right and like Christmas STORY, may only be appreciated as the word of mouth gets out.
From Robert Zemeckis, the same director who made WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988) which mixed live action with animation and FORREST GUMP (1994), another film that combined levels of reality and special effects.
Heart touching characters include: Hero Girl, a gentle African American child; Lonely Boy, representing the poor from the wrong side of the tracks; Know-It-All, whose observations are insufferable; and Hobo as the spirit of the lost and forgotten.
Most of the action is variations on a thrill-ride like the Polar Express train careening down a 179-degree grade, then racing through tunnels with a half-inch of clearance. Another sublime scene of eye-candy dances before us as a lost ticket flutters through the air with as much freedom as the famous floating feather at the start of FORREST GUMP. A temping tasty scene has hot chocolate being served on the train with waiters materializing in an acrobatic song-and-dance.
A Fear Factor scene explodes when the giant bag of Christmas toys being helicoptered into the sleigh accidentally knocks the star off the toy of the giant Christmas tree sending it plunging down towards the defenseless elves. A crack team of bungee jumping elves leap down from the copter racing the star to the ground and grab it just in the nick of time to save the day!
When Santa's helpers hitch up the reindeer, they look not like tame cartoon characters, but like skittish thoroughbreds. Other unique moments are provided by a reflection in a hubcap and additional pieces of business that add sparkle to this gem. You'll want to see it twice as this film will keep on giving throughout holiday seasons to come.
SPOILERS: Like most truly great films this one has a 'gotcha' scene, where you get hooked and can't wait for the ride to continue. In STAR WARS it was the giant space ship coming from behind and cruising amazingly overhead. In POLAR EXPRESS the first 'gotcha' for me was in the opening scene in a young boy's bedroom on Christmas Eve as he wonders about the reality of Santa Clause. In this beautifully detailed sequence (similar to TOY STORY) he opens a book and the camera rotates around him and behind the reversed (and floating giant type) print on the page to show his wondering face. This vivid point of view was magical. There are many scenes with snow, more realistically shown than in ANY other film, floating deftly around this super deep world pallet.
The dancing waiter's scene rivals and nearly beats similar action in SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS or Fred Astaire's dancing on the ceiling in ROYAL WEDDING. Later in the story a prized golden ticket blows out of a window and travels from a pack of wild wolves to a soaring eagle's mouth, then plunges down a monstrous waterfall only to pull up and rest on the edge of the eagles nest: again magical and breathtakingly believable.
The army of elves at the incredibly detailed North Pole city, the giant bag of toys on the sleigh and the performances of the ghost-like hobo, the semi-stern but more big-brotherly train conductor and finally the big man, Santa, add depth to this fairy tale.
Some critics have said this film was 'cold' or 'detached.' Well maybe they didn't identify with the intelligent young black girl who becomes the leader of the children; maybe they were more like the 'know-it-all' kid who questioned everything, believed nothing and took a negative spin because they think it makes them appear smarter. I don't want to spoil the sweet, inspiring story but it deals with the wonder of childhood, the mystery of the unknown and the magic of imagination and dreams which Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis thankfully still are in touch with. Through their talent we too can take this wild ride and be dazzled with child-like exhilaration!