All aboard!

Rating: 8/10 (30 August 2006)

Robert Zemeckis is a film director always on the forefront of cutting edge technology. He started this trend way back in 1985 with Back to the Future. It was a film that was not merely a special effects vehicle, but a decent story of equal heart and humour. Zemeckis expanded upon this in 1988 with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, one of the first films to combine live-action with animation. And now with The Polar Express, Zemeckis takes the animated world to new heights, using revolutionary CGI effects with a new type of technology, motion-capture, to create a magical Christmas fantasy.
Based on Chris Van Allsburg's short story, a young boy at Christmas is at the age when the existence of Father Christmas is in question. This boy is never named but it is his journey of self-discovery and enlightenment we are invited to observe. On Christmas Eve, a steam train appears outside the boy's house. A conductor invites him on board the Polar Express, a train bound for the North Pole.
So begins our journey, and it's anything but straightforward. Perilous mountains, slippery ice-rinks, lost tickets, and crises of faith are all intertwined on board the Polar Express.
The Polar Express has come in for a fair bit of criticism because of the effects used to create this film. Motion-capture is a process where real actors are required to act in front of a blue-screen while their bodies are covered in special dots to acutely mimic human behaviour. And although it doesn't always translate well to the film, it still creates a quite dazzling and beautiful motion picture.
Some of the facial expressions on the characters are so eerily precise that it creates an otherworldly feeling. Something the filmmakers were probably trying to achieve. Although you can't escape the fact that there is an ever-present deadness to the characters eyes that doesn't quite sparkle with life, I suppose it's something you could get used to. But it still feels a little unnerving. The technology hasn't quite got there, but whether it can completely mimic human behaviour remains to be seen.
If the effects can't quite encompass human emotion, it more than makes up for that in the set design. The Polar Express is a really quite lovely film to watch. There are marvellous little details throughout. From tiny things like the frost on the train windows, clearly defined shadows, human perspiration and freckles to grand sights such as the North Pole that appears as a magnificent city. It all quite takes one aback.
Tom Hanks, who's worked with Zemeckis in the past, gets to play six different characters. The boy (but voiced by someone else), the conductor, a ghostly hobo who lives on top of the train, Father Christmas, a Scrooge puppet, and the boy's Dad.
I don't think it was really that necessary for Hanks to play so many parts. In fact of the six, I only liked two. The conductor, where Hanks seems the most comfortable, and the hobo where Hanks adopts a gruffer voice.
The conductor is a likable character who is so insistent the train reaches it's destination. The only bad scene for this character was a really awful music number involving break dancing espresso waiters. It's a scene not helped by Hanks' dreadful singing voice. The hobo is an interesting character because he's such a mystery. He helps to restore the boy's faith in the spirit of Christmas. He also reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, vanishing into thin air, but leaving certain body parts behind.
But I didn't enjoy Hanks' interpretation of Father Christmas. For one thing this St Nick is anything but jolly, and is played with a considerable solemnity by Hanks that verges on the bored. The fact that the animation renders Father Christmas so flat to look at doesn't help either.
The Polar Express is an admittedly episodic film. Because the source material is so thin, the filmmakers have had to stretch things out and create obstacles along the way. From derailments, caribou on the track and emergency brakes, I suppose the structure is unavoidable. But it does provide some exhilarating sequences like the roller-coaster ride through the mountains that made me feel like I was there.
The children on the train are quite well defined too. The boy who doesn't believe anymore, the lonely boy, capable girl and know-it-all. They all add something, and make the journey seem not as long. The music from Alan Silvestri helps things chug along too, with a quite nice duet from the lonely boy and capable girl.
The Polar Express has a lot of nice touches that even extends to the end credits with a gentle snowfall in the background. Whether or not this film will become a perennial Christmas favourite remains to be seen, but it tells a nice story about faith, and sends the message that maybe it's not the destination that's important. But the journey.