Dir.
Robert Zemeckis, 2004, USA, 100 mins
Cast:
Tom Hanks
Based on Chris Van Allsburg's award-winning children's book, The Polar Express tells the story of a boy whose belief in Santa Clause is hanging by a thread. Then, at five to midnight one Christmas Eve, the train of the film's title comes to rest in front of his home, rousing him from sleep and drawing him outside. Boarding, with apprehension, at the behest of the mysterious conductor, the boy begins his journey to the North Pole, and perhaps an end to his doubts.
Over the past few decades, audiences have come to expect two alternative moulds of the Christmas movie. The first being Christmas romps such as The Grinch or this year's Bad Santa; the second is the traditional and ever-popular family favourite. Films like It's A Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol that seek to bore inside you and tug on your soul, until you're weeping into your lap with a renewed love for the virtues of goodwill towards your fellow man. The Polar Express is just such a film. With it, the Oscar winning partnership of writer/director Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future, Castaway) and mothers' favourite Tom Hanks (The Man With One Red Shoe, Forest Gump), has sought to renew the ever-decreasing sense of magic, festiveness and seasonal good-will, that makes the cold months of winter worthwhile, or at the very least bearable.
There's no escaping the almost aggressive message system working within The Polar Express, as the plights of Hero Boy, Girl and Lonely Boy take us through a dream-like landscape, populated by intangible hoboes and Steven Tyler elves. Some may find themselves cringing, squirming in their seats, trying to escape an angelic duet between Girl and Lonely Boy; the violins plucking delicately at the heartstrings in time-honoured tradition. The Polar Express' characters are all of a traditional caste, each designed to reflect a virtue we are asked to search for within ourselves. In Know-It-All Boy we've a character whose journey puts him on the road to humility, and man, is it a journey he needs to take. You'd be excused if you found yourself wanting to punch his lights out; but should this be the case, you need to turn to Lonely Boy, who'll show you that you must have faith in those around you. Hero Boy's closest companion, simply named 'Girl', discovers her inherent sense of leadership, and the confidence such a disposition requires. Of course, the most important message to be thrust upon you is carried by the film's protagonist, Hero Boy. More than just peace on earth and goodwill towards men, it is that you should avoid disbelieving in things you don't fully understand.
Using the latest techniques in motion capture, The Polar Express is the newest evolutionary step for features produced entirely through CGI. What separates it from its peers is a new technique, labelled 'Performance Capture', whereby not just the actor's movement but also his facial expressions are digitally recorded using reflective markers. And in a second ground-breaking move, it's also being released in 3D IMAX format.
It's been well publicised that Tom Hanks took on five separate roles for the filming of The Polar Express, voicing all but one of them. Yet, other than being 'a first', it's hard to see what the point of this action was. To give him credit, though, Hanks does an admirable job of creating contrasting character portraits. You'd not be able to mistake the presence of the train-riding Hobo for that of, say, the Conductor, but this is more to do with his vocal abilities and bodily expression. For even with his every smirk, smile and sneer so painstakingly re-created, the effect left by the characters' faces often remains blank. The eyes in particular lack depth and seem emotionally distanced from the expressions they're embedded in. Movements, despite being direct copies of an actor's, often seem wooden, somehow leaden.
Zemeckis' intention has been to create an animated world as close to the real as possible, while still retaining the dream-like atmosphere of Chris Van Allsburg 's original book. Consequently, the world populated by the multiple-bodied Hanks and his supporting cast of engineers and all-singing, all-dancing waiters, exudes the same quality found at two in the morning, as you stumble half-blind out of bed, in search of water or the bathroom. It's here that the animation of The Polar Express really works. You're swept along on a ride of fantastical episodes, chugging ever nearer to the ultimate in fantasylands - Santa's North Pole abode. This journey leads to some remarkable sequences in which the audience is snatched by the collar and hauled off on astounding flights of fancy. And when, within all this, you consider the 3Dimensional aspect. Well, let's see now.
The 3D IMAX print is what really makes The Polar Express a film worth watching. Incredible. There's really no other way to put it. It's this ground-breaking move on both Imax and Warner Bros. part that raises The Polar Express above all the other CGI features available to date. What you get from seeing it in this format is an experience like no other. From the opening scene in Hero Boy's bedroom you feel like you're in the film itself; and this is a far cry from the somewhat lame efforts of past attempts like, say, Jaws or A Nightmare on Elm Street. As the story gets underway, things only get better. In one particular sequence we follow a ticket as it's carried along, first by the wind, then by an eagle, taking us over woodland, through mountain ranges and down water falls, until finally we end up back on the train. The Polar Express is filled with such set-pieces, and that's not to mention the multiple instances where you're either swept below the train itself, thrown into a song and dance number, have snow flakes float into your lap, or are taken on rollercoaster rides through Santa's workshop. If you're going to see this film, do it with a bit of class.
Frazer Ash
The Polar Express is released as a single- and a double-disc set on region 2 DVD on 14th November by Warner Home Video
Disc 1:
Feature Movie
Theatrical Trailer
Disc 2
*You Look Familiar - Tom Hanks comments on his 5 unique roles
*A Genuine Ticket to Ride - Focus on Performance Capture, music and the movies creation
*True Aspirations An Authors Adventure - Chris Van Allsburg discusses his artistic background and how he conceived the idea for The Polar Express book.
*Josh Groban at the Greek video of Josh Groban performing Believe
*Behind the Scenes of Believe
*Meet the Snow Angles (Cast and Crew members share their favourite holiday memories
*Flurry of Effects *Easter Eggs*
*Polar Express Challenge Kid friendly game to be played with the remote control
DVD-ROM - C level including trailer and one PC level of The Polar Express video game |
