When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

CRITIQUE

I reviewed the movie last year when it came out in theaters, a review of which can be found via this address: www.moviefreak.com/reviews/pq/polarexpress_2.htm.

Watching it a year later, my thoughts still stand.  It’s a cliché Holiday special, wrapped in a new bow.  I’m a sucker for these kinds of films, so I ate it all up.  Unlike Elf or any of the recent Christmas films, Polar Express goes to the core of the traditional Rankin and Bass Christmas TV specials, and presents a nostalgic childhood delight of what Christmas is about.  With vivid mise-en-scene that delights the senses, it’s a great family instant classic from the get-go. 

What I love about this film is two things. One, the retro aspect of it.  This film came out around at the same time as Disney's The Incredibles and both have a retro feeling to it.  With Polar Express, it feels like something from the ‘50s with the toys and the magazines shown.  On the other hand, it’s got an old school Disney style to it, especially when the kids enter the North Pole, and the Express goes through the city; it feels like Tomorrowland or Main Street.

The other aspect is the detail in the scenes.  For the viewers who look closely, this film is very detailed.  There are some scenes that look quite phony with the CGI, while other scenes are completely awe-inspiring, like when the little boy slides through the snow as he looks on to the train.  That entire sequence is just great – with the special effects and sound effects the train makes, the smoke coming from the train, and a distant voice shouting, “ALL ABOARD!”

Robert Zemeckis is all about detail.  But is this the new way of filmmaking?  With Monster House and Beowulf in the works, is this where filmmaking is heading?  Perhaps, like when Technicolor and CineScope first invaded the screens, it took a while to get used to, but in time, people accepted it.  Zemeckis, since the 1980s, has broken each barrel of filmmaking.  Polar Express is certainly no exception.  I guess this technology is only best if used in the right context.  I could be the only person here, but it would be nice to see Rankin and Bass’ Christmas specials turned into feature films, and perhaps, use this brand of filmmaking to have them come alive.

THE VIDEO

Warner Brothers presents The Polar Express in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen.  This transfer is gorgeous.  I think it’s going to be a long-long time before this picture quality of this set looks outdated.  Each frame of the film is like a well-detailed painting.  You won’t find better quality than this.  I am sure it looks ever better on widescreen TVs.

THE AUDIO

Warner Brothers presents The Polar Express in English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1).  While a DTS track would have been nice, the 5.1 is where it is at.  This is a film to watch with the speakers on high and the rear speakers get a great workout, but it’s also a quiet film in spots. Overall a great audio presentation.

THE EXTRAS

- Never-before-seen Smokey and Steamer song

- You Look Familiar: The Many "Polar Faces" of Tom Hanks

- True Inspirations: An Author's Adventure: Profiling Chris Van Allsburg

- Josh Groban at the Greek performing the original song "Believe."

- Behind the scenes of "Believe": bringing a hit song to life in the recording studio

- Polar Express challenge

- Meet the Snow Angels: the moviemakers' Christmas memories

- THQ PC game demo with two playable levels

- Theatrical trailer

It seems like this set is loaded with features, right?  Wrong!  For the most part, the bonus stuff is geared towards children.  Even the featurette that shows viewers how the film was made is narrated towards children.  Perhaps I’m just nitpicking, but at least there should be a mixture of material for adults and children.  It would’ve been very interesting if Warner would have authored the DVD similar to the Who Framed Roger Rabbit set, where one disc is family friendly and the second disc is geared towards film people (like me). That would’ve been original and very satisfying.

The absence of a commentary track by Zemeckis or Tom Hanks is a big downer.

Again, maybe it’s just me nitpicking, but I just think the bonus material on this set is rather disappointing.  It’s kind of a surprise, because Warner has been doing a really good job lately with their two-disc edition sets.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Because the special features are kind of a joke, it wouldn’t matter if you buy the 2-disc or the single edition DVD just as long as you get it in some capacity or another. The film itself will make a good addition to your film buff or family collection.