The Polar Express

This is one of the better Christmas movies I've ever watched. It's fantastic. I watched this again after ages and right after 'A boy called Christmas' which I didn't like at all. You could say that I watched this to cleanse my eyes because that movie is quite bad.

It's an amazing fantasy Christmas movie with spectacular animation. Tom Hanks' animated character looks just like him. I didn't find the other characters as jarring as people claim them to be. The film's animation is so good that it's easy to overlook the "creepy" looking characters.

The film has extremely breathtaking visuals, gripping scenes, a jolly atmosphere. It also has songs which is really fantastic and something that happens to be missing from Christmas films including'A boy called Christmas'. The moral that this movie has is also quite beautiful. So overall a really great movie to watch during Christmas. All this hate is just not justified.

The animation may not hold up quite as well 15 years later, but this one still has a lot of heart and magic behind it to make it stay in the Christmas rotation.

A simple story . . . beautifully told . . . magnificently visualized.

The IMAX experience was stunning.

I did not expect to enjoy the story as much as I did. Simple but quite heartwarming.

Although it started a bit slow, it continued to gain momentum (no train analogy intended) through its conclusion. I was not a great lover of the animation of the human characters, but the other animation, whether it be the train, the scenery, the reindeer, or the elves (are elves human?) was quite well done.

Perhaps the best review I can provide is that after I watched the Polar Express, I just felt happier.

Clearly the reviewers who panned this wonderful film can no longer hear the ringing of the silver bell. I am reminded of the know it all kid in the film when I read these reviews. Some said it was too dark. Too dark? It was set at 5 minuets to midnight.....As I recall its dark then. Another called it ghostly; a condition true of a Christmas Carol, the film is in good company there. While I will admit that the computer motion capture in facial expressions is not as strong as it could be it did not detract from the story. Some reviewers did not like the roller-coaster effects. One even pointed out that trains can not do what this one does.....It's a dream...physics don't count. It is a sad commentary that the meaning of Christmas and belief in it's historically documented magic is so lost on those with access to the press. My review...it's good and it is best if you make up your own mind. I could hear the bell ring and I hope you can too.

Come on, guys. This film was made at a time when these visuals were still groundbreaking. Don't complain now that they were not as far along then as they are today. Thanks to pioneering work like The Polar Express, filmmakers can now create even more beautiful things. A lack of historical perspective is a major shortcoming for the contemporary viewer... And yes, it is always a joy to watch Tom Hanks, whichever movie he's in. Now and back then.