THE POLAR EXPRESS
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
In theatres
(*****)
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Written By: John H. Foote
Destined to become a holiday classic, The Polar Express is based on the children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. This enchanting story is brought to the screen by Oscar winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, using ground breaking new technology known as performance capture. Taking the motion capture technology used to create Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to soaring new heights, performance capture allows the cameras to capture every nuance, small movement or expression in the actor's face. The actors performance is captured is digitally captured by computerized cameras and becomes a blueprint for creating the virtual characters within the computer. Performance capture goes a step further, capturing every minute detail of the actor allowing the filmmaker to then use that imagery in their grand canvas.

What Zemeckis has accomplished here is groundbreaking and new, exciting because it represents a substantial move forward in the art of animation.

Add to that the fact the film is utterly breathtaking and one of the best of the year and one can see why there is reason to celebrate.

Zemeckis established himself in the eighties as a filmmaker of fine entertainments such as Back to the Future (1985) and its two sequels, Romancing the Stone (1983) and the brilliant Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) in which he also pushed the envelope merging animation with live action. In the nineties he would win an Academy Award for his direction of Forrest Gump (1994) the lovable fable featuring an Oscar winning performance from Tom Hanks, and followed that with the vastly under appreciated science fiction film Contact (1997), which deserved far more attention than it received. Not one to rest, Zemeckis released two films in 2000, the stylish horror film What Lies Beneath (2000) and the brilliant survival epic Cast Away (2000) featuring the finest performance of Tom Hanks career. He is a director much like his teacher Steven Spielberg' able to make films for audiences, but also capable of creating cinematic art.

The Polar Express may be his greatest achievement.

The story deals with a young boy who is on the cusp of learning about Santa Claus, preparing to leave his childhood behind and move into pre-teen years with all the beliefs of those years. He lies in his bed listening for a sound he feels he might never hear, the sound of Santa' s sleigh. A five minutes to midnight a thunderous roar startles the boy and he sees a stunning sight - a gleaming black locomotive moves to a stop in front of his house, steam wafting from the pipe as snow gently falls around him. The conductor asks him if he is coming to which the boy asks where?

"To the North Pole of course, this is the Polar Express".

Thus begins an extraordinary adventure that will thrill young and old as the boy takes a journey of self discovery where he discovers that for those who always believe, the magic of the season, the magic of life for that matter, never dies if you truly believe.

Tom Hanks, in no less than five roles again displays the range that has made him perhaps the greatest actor of his generation. What is extraordinary ere about his leap of faith is that he trusted with Zemeckis his artistry and image knowing that the director would use him to enhance the film in every way. Hanks is wonderful in a gentle, thoughtful series of performances that will delight all those who see it.

Combining classic storytelling technique with new and vivid technology, The Polar Express is a breathtaking film of extraordinary originality and beauty. Capturing the look of the beautiful illustrations that decorate the best selling book, the film transports audiences to a world that exists in the imagination of those who have made the film, and those who will experience it. It fills the eyes with wonder and majestic beauty, and reminds us of the endless possibility of the cinema.

When I was a eleven, my parents took me to see a re-release of Cecil B. Demille's The Ten Commandments (1956). My father had gone on and on about the film and by the time we arrived at the theatre I was a tad cynical about the film. Four hours and nineteen minutes later I emerged from the film galvanized, forever obsessed with cinema, forever in love with this magical art form. I suspect The Polar Express will do the same for young people out there this season.

This film, the magic of this film is why the movies were created and why they remain so beloved.








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