Pure Christmas magic!!

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2015)

Robert Zemeckis's The Polar Express is a dazzling gem of a Christmas classic. It's endlessly re watchable, complete fun for kids and adults alike, and contains really impressive motion capture special effects that hold up terrifically to this day. Zemeckis is in love with the medium, having made three incredible ventures into it so far, this being his first. It's a hell of a ride, and at times very interactive with the audience, as the cameras swoop, swish, dive and throw themselves right into the action in exciting ways that wouldn't be possible with live action. The animation itself is jaw-dropping as well, each new sight the train passes more awe inspiring than the last. The train is a marvel too see and feels real to us, with textured surfaces rendered beautifully, and many a hiss, clank and roar melded into the sound design. On a quiet, snow blanketed Christmas Eve in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a young boy eagerly awaits Santa's jingling arrival with great anticipation. What arrives instead is a grand old steam train, right to his front door stop. When asked where it's headed, the energetic conductor exclaims "Why, to the North Pole, of course! This is the polar express!!!". And off they go, trundling through the holy night northbound into desolate forests, gorgeous mountains and scenery so well imagined you'll have trouble believing you're watching something made by a computer. It's not tacky or overdone, but rather muted and deep colored, as if the pages of the storybook leapt to magical life in front of us. The boy meets others like him and before they know it they're already knee deep in heart stopping adventure before they even get halfway to the north pole. The train careens and dips like a bat out of hell along impossibly wild roller coaster tracks and even ice skates along a glassy frozen lake at one point. The first half of the film is so packed with precise, visually boggling action that it feels like Need For Speed: Arctic Edition at times. My favourite parts are the haunting pack of wolves that follow the train down a powdery tundra slope, the stomach churning plunge down 'glacier gulch' that plays like Mario kart on steroids, and a comical detour around thousands of wild caribou. It's quite the adventure. And I haven't even gotten to the north pole yet. It is without a doubt the grandest, and my favourite depiction of Santa's kingdom in any movie ever.
The sheer scale, beauty and detail of it makes your heart soar in appreciation. Hundreds of thousands of little elfies parade around (including one that looks and sounds suspiciously like Steven Tyler), giddy with excitement at the time of year, some in hilarious neumatic transit pods. Santas sleigh is a titanic bundle that requires two blimps to lift, and it's all set on a massive frosty dome in the middle of the northern desolation. It's. Damn. Spectacular. Tom Hanks works overtime in six different roles, the showcase one being the conductor, a neurotic loon whose overwhelming compassion and winking, jovial spirit peers through his gruff exterior. He also plays a mysterious hobo who rides the express in style and helps those in need, as well as the big man himself, Father Christmas. The holiday magic that fuels the train along with coal is there to teach every girl and boy onboard a very introspective lesson, which they themselves must come to terms with, with a dose of friendly nudging from the other characters. A true Christmas classic with imagination in spades, dozens of pleasing Christmas carols to sing along to (including a deafening rendition of Santa Claus is coming to town sung by the elfies) and a timeless feeling of adventure and awaiting joy to rival any of the best Christmas eve's that we fondly remember as children.