"Polar Express" - Now My Favorite Christmas Movie

[megoscott]

Count me out. While the overall look of the art is amazing the captured animation is creepy to me.

[theantiquetiger]

Count me out. While the overall look of the art is amazing the captured animation is creepy to me.

My wife says the same thing. She says all the kids look cross-eyed. The story line out weighs this point to me, though.

[The Toyroom]

Count me out. While the overall look of the art is amazing the captured animation is creepy to me.

Yeah it does have a creepy vibe to it...especially since Tom Hanks is doing the majority of the roles. I think I remember hearing that even the little boy was based on his movements and then shrunk down to child-size when they hit the computer stage.

[BlackKnight]

Meh,.. I watched half of this lastnight, & couldn't get into it.

[theantiquetiger]

Meh,.. I watched half of this lastnight, & couldn't get into it.

It does start alittle slow, but the North pole adventure is awesome. I wish there was more adventure scenes and less train scenes, but the movie is about the train.

[Bo8a_Fett]

I feel the same way about Quentin T. Movies. Everyone raves about them and I can't sit through them without asking WHY? garbage all.

So with you on this one PC...I love movies and have a 1400 dvd collection (adding all the time)...yet I hate Q T stuff..even the latest Kurt Russell one.
Back to the subject...Polar Express was ok...the animation was different enough to make it watchable, my kids though could take it or leave it preferring the more traditional animated styles...I take the film more as an experiment (something different to Pixars domination) that didn't quite work. I am however looking forward to Beowolf which uses much the same technique.

[mego73]

So with you on this one PC...I love movies and have a 1400 dvd collection (adding all the time)...yet I hate Q T stuff..even the latest Kurt Russell one.
Back to the subject...Polar Express was ok...the animation was different enough to make it watchable, my kids though could take it or leave it preferring the more traditional animated styles...I take the film more as an experiment (something different to Pixars domination) that didn't quite work. I am however looking forward to Beowolf which uses much the same technique.

Your right, Polar Express was experimental. Because of that, I understand how the movie doesn't appeal to some, even though I really love it.

I don't hate QT and enjoy his movies but also consider him to be vastly overrated. His movies are fun, better than average... junk. All the pop culture pontification, existential dialog and out of sequence happenings of Pulp Fiction just disguises the fact it's an exploitation crime drama about wholly unsavory characters.

[batmanmc]

i love the polar express ive seen it about 10 times. my niece has it on video . she watches it at least 2 a week. one of my favorites with scrroge and the grinch. mike

[Adam West]

I have seen bits and pieces of it but haven't seen it from beginning to end yet.

What I saw I liked but didn't love. I don't think it would top Christmas Story though. Ironically, I really didn't like Christmas Story the first time I saw it but it grew on me. Maybe Polar Express will do the same thing.

Elf is another really good Christmas movie that I think will stand the test of time as is Family Man.

[Brue]

I saw Polar express for the first time today.

More correctly I should say I saw half of the Polar Express today.

I don't know what you guys liked about this movie. It is a train wreck.

All of the wonder from the Chris Van Allsburg book is lost in this version.

I sat and watch in silent pain until my 3 year old daughter and 7 year old nephew quit watching. At which point my 12 year old nephew thanked me for turning it off.

Maybe I should have posted this in the "Movies you walked out on" thread.

[mego73]

Well, the movie is not for everybody but it is for me

[the editor]

I dunno - it was kind of dark. Both in theme and in actual terms of film brightness.

And although, at the time, the animation was considered to be kind of breakthrough - the characters really lacked the ability to emotionally connect with the audience.
In fact, the film has been criticized recently for it's inability to bring to "human" out of the "Comp" & I agree.

Nice story but it was probably done a few years too early in the CGI dept.

[PCofmisfittoys]

it's just a childs movie, you guys are talking like it was intented to be the greatest of all time. Remember that people say the same thing about logan's run, BG , SW and many other movies that we ALL enjoy and think are the greatest of all time.

I also don't think there's been a movie made that represents the book perfectly.