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Chris Van Allsburg’s popular children’s book comes to life in this animated film starring Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, and a couple of other people.
The Polar Express tells the story of a young nameless boy who’s lost the Christmas spirit. He’s not sure if he still believes in Santa. On Christmas Eve, a huge train pulls up in his front yard, headed for the North Pole. Once he joins the conductor (Tom Hanks, of course) on board, he meets a car full of other kids who are all eager to join in the big celebration, when Santa chooses a child to receive the first Christmas present of the year.
The big draw of The Polar Express wasn’t really the cute holiday story. It was the stunning CGI animation that brought curious parents to the theaters. And, for the most part, the animation is spectacular. It fills the movie with beautiful scenery and frighteningly real roller-coaster-like scenes. The people, however, are just plain scary. They’re so close to looking real, but their eyes make them look like something out of a horror movie. The fact that the characters aren’t quite right distracted me from the rest of the movie—and, to be honest, they creeped me out just a little bit.
The story itself is a bit thin, but really…that’s to be expected from a movie based on a kids’ book. And some of the characters get a bit annoying after a while (actually, the know-it-all kid starts out annoying and gets even worse). For instance, the main character’s doubts are the core of the story—but play up his constant doubting and second-guessing for an hour an a half, and it gets tiring.
I wasn’t trilled with The Polar Express—despite the fact that I usually love kids’ movies. Perhaps I, too, have lost my Christmas spirit—but I can think of other Christmas movies that I’d rather watch. At the same time, though, it’s worth seeing just once to check out the animation (just try not to make eye contact with the creepy kids).
I can also see where this movie might be scary for kids—not just the real-looking-but-not-quite-right characters but also the dark, scary scenes. In one, the main character climbs across the top of the speeding train in the middle of a snowstorm. In another, the tracks get covered in ice, and the train spins wildly out of control—right before the ice starts breaking. Even I was scared.
So check out the movie for its animation and cool effects, but be warned that it might give the kids (and maybe you, too) nightmares.
