Instant Classic

15 November 2004



“Polar Express” Isn’t Quite Perfect

The team of Tom Hanks and Robert Zemickis has done some brilliant work in Hollywood. “Forrest Gump” and “Castaway” were great films by any measure. The new one, an animated rendering of Chris van Allsburg’s “The Polar Express,” is a departure only in form, not in style. The movie is certain to be a holiday classic, and anything that reduced that saturation broadcasting of “It’s a Wonderful Life” can’t be all bad. The critics who have found fault have made mountains out of molehills.

That is not to say that the molehills aren’t there. The movie suffers from a misguided adaptation (as most book-into-movie efforts do) in trying to tell a story that differs from the book. One acknowledges that this is a matter of taste. However, what the author wrote is in all cases definitive when the book precedes the film. The director’s decision to alter that story is usually a bad one. By the same token, novelizations (unlovely word) of films are even worse projects.

The premise of the film is a young boy on the edge of not believing in Santa anymore magically finds himself on a train to the North Pole where the Man Himself gives him a present – a sleigh bell. The bell’s chime can only be heard by those who still possess the magic of Christmas. In the final pages, one learns that he can still hear it (clearly an adult by the time of the narration) but few adults can. It is a symbol and the book is rather heavy-handed about the lesson. Then again, children’s books have never been subtle about their morals, and perhaps, never should be.

The film wanders off this theme long enough to do some spectacular rollercoaster train travel through astonishing landscapes that are very faithful to the book’s illustrations. In Imax, these scenes are likely quite powerful and loads of fun. But for those looking for the Caldicott Award Winning Story, these scenes only get in the way. A faithful reproduction would likely have made the film a short, rather than a feature-length movie.

All the same, the movie does offer the usual Christmas warm fuzzies. Belief, hope, friendship, and faith are all there, and the fact that Mr. Hanks’ voice is a familiar and comforting one to small children add to the film’s future as a classic. Also worth mentioning is the work of Peter Scolari in the film, who does the voice of a lonely boy named Billy. He and Mr. Hanks have come a long way from “Bosom Buddies,” and they have been fun to watch – overlooking “Turner and Hooch” and “Ticks.”


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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