Movie Review: The Polar Express (3/5 stars)
I wasn't feeling very well last night, so I thought I'd use the 'down time' to check out a Christmas movie while I was still in holiday mode. The Polar Express is the latest children's movie, and had gotten reasonably good reviews. So I put it in my 15" Powerbook, crawled into bed and prepared to be enchanted.
My first impression lasted throughout the movie. It's CG-animated, which has become the norm for kids' movies (check out any Pixar flick, for example). I generally like this effect with movies like Toy Story and Shrek. But those situations deal with animals and not-so-inanimate objects. Warner Bros does an admirable job of using it with people, but I constantly found myself noticing the animation because of its shortcomings regarding human expressions and movements. But while it was distracting, it wasn't annoying.
You probably already know the premise of the movie. Or if not, you can easily guess. The Polar Express is a steam locomotive that picks up children on Christmas Eve and takes them to the North Pole to see the Big Guy. We quickly learn that the train picks up kids that are on the verge of no longer believing that Santa exists. Now, given the earth's population, you would think that there are tens of thousands of these kids every year. But the train holds approximately a dozen, at most. And they all speak english. I find that a bit odd, but then I've always wondered how the original Star Trek crew always beamed down to planets with an atmosphere and gravity identical to Earth's. And the aliens they encountered nearly always spoke english, as well.
Alright, enough of the nitpicking, you say. Is the story any good, right? Well, yes. Tom Hanks does most of the adult voiceovers, and remarkably well. The characters in general are believable, and mostly react the way you would expect. The characters in the movie develop (to some extent), and achieve their implied objectives of caring for each other, going with their instincts, and embracing their strengths.
The main shortcoming for the movie is that it's too predictable. I doubt even the kids it's allegedly produced for are suprised by anything. Although the action and drama can be extreme, and I never got bored watching it.
I don't think The Polar Express will endure as a holiday classic. Still, it's better than watching a Mariah Carey Christmas special. But what isn't?
My first impression lasted throughout the movie. It's CG-animated, which has become the norm for kids' movies (check out any Pixar flick, for example). I generally like this effect with movies like Toy Story and Shrek. But those situations deal with animals and not-so-inanimate objects. Warner Bros does an admirable job of using it with people, but I constantly found myself noticing the animation because of its shortcomings regarding human expressions and movements. But while it was distracting, it wasn't annoying.
You probably already know the premise of the movie. Or if not, you can easily guess. The Polar Express is a steam locomotive that picks up children on Christmas Eve and takes them to the North Pole to see the Big Guy. We quickly learn that the train picks up kids that are on the verge of no longer believing that Santa exists. Now, given the earth's population, you would think that there are tens of thousands of these kids every year. But the train holds approximately a dozen, at most. And they all speak english. I find that a bit odd, but then I've always wondered how the original Star Trek crew always beamed down to planets with an atmosphere and gravity identical to Earth's. And the aliens they encountered nearly always spoke english, as well.
Alright, enough of the nitpicking, you say. Is the story any good, right? Well, yes. Tom Hanks does most of the adult voiceovers, and remarkably well. The characters in general are believable, and mostly react the way you would expect. The characters in the movie develop (to some extent), and achieve their implied objectives of caring for each other, going with their instincts, and embracing their strengths.
The main shortcoming for the movie is that it's too predictable. I doubt even the kids it's allegedly produced for are suprised by anything. Although the action and drama can be extreme, and I never got bored watching it.
I don't think The Polar Express will endure as a holiday classic. Still, it's better than watching a Mariah Carey Christmas special. But what isn't?
posted by JoeFriday at 8:26 AM
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