Junkfood

Summary: It's okay. Polar Express is not a good movie, but it is a visual spectacle worth seeing if (and only if) you can see it in an IMAX 3D theater.

You could tell that the movie was intended to be viewed in 3D. Most of the "camera" angles and shots were 3D-centric, and because of this the movie probably will look a bit strange in a regular theater. If you've ever seen a 3D movie on a 2D screen (like seeing Jaws 3 or Friday the 13th Part 3 on television) you'll know what I mean. Some of the sound (mostly rumbling of the train) also seemed to have been designed for IMAX theaters. For these reasons, I think that the movie is worth seeing only in an IMAX 3D theater.

The story itself was dull, and the movie seemed to be made of unrelated action sequences strung together. Parts of the plot didn't make sense. Visually interesting, but soul-less. I guess it is what comes of trying to turn a 29-page picture book into 2-hour movie.

Some people have said that the movie is scary for kids, but I didn't think so. It's not as bad as Wizard of Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's true that Santa is somewhat stern and unsmiling, but it's nothing compared to the Santa in City of Lost Children.

Even though the movie isn't that great, it is a visual spectacle worth seeing, and I suspect that Polar Express will become a movie that families go to see every year at the IMAX.

I saw Polar Express in the Jordan's furniture store in Reading on Saturday [November 20, 2004]. I was able to get a walk-in ticket to the 10:00am show, but by noon all of the other showings, except for the 10:00pm show, had sold out. I noticed on the ticket web site, that by Saturday night all of Sunday's shows had also sold out, except for the final, 8:30pm show. If you are going to see it on a weekend, I recommend advance ticket purchase.

Update: I saw Polar Express again last Saturday, accompanying someone who had not yet seen it. So, even though it isn't that great a movie, the IMAX 3D version is something that can be enjoyed multiple times, like a theme park roller coaster.