3-D IMAX impressive

Rating: 7/10 (13 June 2005)

Having seen POLAR EXPRESS only in 3-D IMAX I can't comment on the complaints about "dead eyes" and other technical disappointments of the 2-D version. What I can say is that as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed the tyke tale and oooh'd and ahhhh'd along with all the other kids in the audience. In 3-D, the eyes were strikingly real and expressive, right down to the nuanced squints, the mottled colors of the iris, reflections off the cornea, and apparent depth of the anterior chamber of the eye. The most notable technical achievement was the translation of subtle body movements that elevated the animation from cartoon to simulation. The application of motion-capture technology succeeded and the many producers who spent tons of money on this film should be praised rather than nitpicked to death by those expecting to see real people marching around on screen. To me, the subtleties captured in this technical tour de force are a huge advance and someday will be recognized unequivocally as such, without all the carping. On the other hand, the story could have been written better, edited more aggressively, tighter, less of the floating ticket, more about the sad poor kid in the caboose -- that is, there could have been better character and story development. They got a little too caught up in the techie tricks. But no matter what your age, there's plenty of entertainment if you just relax and let your imagination ride on the POLAR EXPRESS.