Review of The Polar Express (2004) by Manny C — 24 Mar 2011
It took $165 million to take Chris Van Allsberg's slim 1985 Christmas story into a huge animated film that just doesn't work. It's not the fault of star Tom Hanks, who covered himself in reflective dots to portray five different characters, including the stationmaster who takes a lonely boy to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
Place the blame on director Robert Zemeckis and his 'performance caputre' team who use those dots to create computer-generated images straight out of Van Allsburg's book. It's an ambitious endeavor, but The Polar Express looks lifeless, untouched by human hands.
Two words: dead eyes, dead eyes that are on everyone from the boy to even Santa Claus. It's an experiment that falls flat.
This review of The Polar Express (2004) was written by Manny C on 24 Mar 2011.
The Polar Express has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
