THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004) 3 stars out of 4. Starring the vocal talents of Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Peter Scolari, Nona Gaye, Eddie Deezen and Charles Fleischer. Senior visual effects supervisors Ken Ralston and Jerome Chen. Production designers Rick Carter and Doug Chiang. Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg.
Screenplay by William Broyles Jr. and Robert Zemeckis. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Rated G. Running time: Approx: 100 mins.
The Polar Express will enchant children with its humor, zest and scenic splendor.
Director Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's beloved, award-winning book makes great use of the vocal talents of Tom Hanks, who performs multiple parts, including The Conductor, The Hobo, Hero Boy and Santa.
Yet, the movie, despite all its assets, has an artificial feel about it. That is because Zemeckis and his creative team have used a new computer-generated system called Performance Capture to bring the story to life.
Basically, to quote the movie's press kit, "this allows the actors' live-action performance to drive the emotions and movements of the digital characters."
And while this is a technological advancement, the system still needs improvement. The characters at times look and feel unnatural, their eyes are missing their sparkle. They lack the charisma and expressiveness Pixar has utilized so successfully. Even the fairy tale characters in Dreamworks' Shrek films are livelier.
What keeps The Polar Express on track is William Broyles Jr. adaptation of Allsburg's book and Hanks' performances.
The sentimental story of faith and self-discovery is as warm and cuddly as being wrapped in a blanket in front of a fireplace on Christmas day.
The two-time Oscar-winning Hanks displays his vocal versatility as he imbues his feel-good personality into his various portrayals. He is wise as The Conductor, wily and daring as The Hobo, instills a sense of compassion and majesty into Santa, an aura of nostalgia into his narration as the adult Hero Boy and brings a sense of wonder and touch of skepticism to his young Hero Boy.
Along with Nona Gaye as Hero Girl and Peter Scolari as Lonely Boy, they form a bond that young viewers can easily identify with.
The vocals of Eddie Deezen as Know-It-All Boy, unfortunately, are grating. He sounds too mature for his young character, whom he makes overly obnoxious.
The production design team has created some magical landscapes that are spellbinding, most notably, the North Pole city and the Express'' push across a frozen lake to avoid the breaking ice.
As a first step showcasing a new cinematic process, The Polar Express for the most part succeeds.
What future filmmakers need to do is be able to capture the subtle nuances that separate the real actors from their CG counterparts. That may be a tall mountain to climb, but Zemeckis and his team have taken the first few, difficult steps.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site: www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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