THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004) **1/2 This film should win an award for CGI (actually, it won a bunch of 'em), if that's the sort of thing that should be awarded. It's impressive though I, of course, would have preferred classic animation. I also have gone on record as saying that way too much emphasis is put on the "voice talent" of famous actors in cartoons, and again the film makes me look bad. Tom Hanks' voice is brilliant, it's so great it's not even really very Tom Hanks-like; just enough so that you can enjoy the character even more if you happen to be into Tom. It does go on, at times, but the visuals are enough to keep you going; and that elusive spirit of Christmas that every great Christmas film strives for (ok, except Die Hard ) is…not corralled or captured, that's impossible…but in evidence, and well represented, not least by the wondrous rendering of the Northern Lights, in CGI. Wow.
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I've already read that novel. It was brilliant. Thank you. Now I want to check out your weekly blog on everything