Better than expected

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 2004)

*removes sunglasses and takes cool guy tooth pick out of mouth*
Have you ever wondered what a midnight trip to the North Pole would look like? No? Neither have I. But that doesn't stop The Polar Express from attempting to capture that journey through the eyes of a young boy. As cool as I try to act, I have to admit that it is a pretty impressive journey. I know I'll catch heat from my friends for praising a G-rated animated Christmas movie starring Tom Hanks, but I'm man enough to give credit where it's warranted.
The Polar Express is definitely geared more towards children. After all, the entire story is told from a young boy's perspective. The viewer is witnessing a dream inside his head; a dream that explores that pivotal moment in a child's life where he must choose to either close the door on part of his childhood, or to keep pretending that he believes in Santa Claus just so he can force his parents to continue to give him gifts from "Santa Claus." I'll never forget the fateful day when my parents closed that door of my childhood themselves, resulting in half the number of Christmas gifts in the years to come. It was a sad time, one that certainly put a damper on my 18th birthday, which was less than two months away.
So unlike Johnny Betts, the kids on the polar express still have a choice. Each is on his or her own personal journey, and each has a lesson to learn.
The first hour of the movie is great and moves at a very fast pace as we witness the adventures that occur as the train makes its way to the North Pole. Everything on screen is just impressive to look at - the scenery, the animation, the action, the characters. I especially liked the first-person view of the train barreling down a roller coaster-esque track. Robert Zemeckis wanted to make the movie feel like an oil painting come alive, and he succeeded. Not that I'm an expert on oil paintings and what they would look like if they were given life, but I digress.
The movie does slow down for the last 20-25 minutes. Once the train trip has ended and the destination is reached, the movie starts to *ahem* lose steam. Bwahaha! But hey, prior to that, it was chugging along *snicker* at a great pace. I'm sorry. I was just trying to think of some lame puns that I'm sure plenty of movie critics are using in their reviews. I'm pretty sure I succeeded.
Anyway, I could have done without the little sentimental musical number where three of the kids join together to sing about "when Christmas comes to town." And macho guys might start to lose interest once the children begin to learn their individual lesson. Yeah yeah, it's all sweet and good, but it's nothing original. I won't fault the filmmakers for that. A good "moral of the story" in a kid's movie never hurt anybody. So if you start to zone out then just pay close attention to all the fine detail, and you'll be impressed.
One of the things that I found most impressive is the characterizations of the humans. The human characters benefit greatly due to a brand new system called Performance Capture. Performance Capture is a process in which the actors wear form-fitting motion capture suits, but unlike regular motion capture, Performance Capture is able to capture genuine emotions and natural expressions. Every single movement by the actor is captured, down to the flutter of an eyelid. The result is the best CG humans I've seen. The mouth movements actually look pretty good! Most CG humans look like they've got peanut butter stuck on the roof of their mouth when they talk, so this is an excellent advancement. I'm eager to watch this system develop.
One of the main points in the movie, as the conductor tells the little boy, is "it doesn't matter where the train is going. What matters is deciding to get on." I don't know that I agree with that. What if the train is going to Detroit's inner-city? Or even worse, what if the train is actually on its way to Hell? What small child is gonna want to take that trip? If you decide to get on then you're in trouble, and you've got the conductor to thank. Quite the disturbing message, don't you think, Mr. Zemeckis? Oh well, it's all right to look past this and enjoy this visually stunning film.
*puts sunglasses back on and places toothpick back in mouth*
THE GIST
If you're looking for a movie you can take the entire family to, then go see The Incredibles. If you've already seen it, then The Polar Express is a very good second option. It's a little more child-oriented than The Incredibles, and the sappy moments might slightly grate the coolest of cats, but it's an entertaining movie, and at the very least you'll enjoy the visual experience.
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)