Blu-Ray Review:
The Polar Express in 3D
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
The book Polar Express is one of my favorite Christmas books. In fact I read it to my 4 year old daughter just the other night. For those of you who don't know the story it's about a boy who boards a train that is bound for the north pole and Santa's home. The train is filled with other girls and boys in their pajamas. When the train finally reaches its destination the boy is given the very first present of Christmas. The present is a bell from Santa's sleigh. The boy is delighted until he realizes he has lost the bell. Will he get his bell back? Well I am not going to tell you, you're going to have to watch the movie and find out. The movie has been created using motion capture. The problem with this movie is that a lot of people feel that the characters look more like mannequins, because the eye movement are not believable. You have to remember this was the first use of this type of technology. When Robert Zemekis, who is the director of this film, made Beowulf they had improved on this type of technology. I don't think it really bothered me to be honest and I usually get lost in the visuals and the charming story. If you haven't seen this film, you should definitely watch it this year.
8 out of 10
Video
First I think I should talk about the 3D. It's hard to judge this movie because it uses those red and blue glasses, so as soon as you put it on the colour pallet is lost. So how does the 3D look? It definitely adds a lot of depth to the image, but honestly I was expecting more. I had talked to people who had seen this movie in IMAX 3D and they went on to say how fantastic it was. The 3D image on the blu-ray seemed to not have that close effect that you get from 3D. It was mostly just a lot of depth in the image. One day we will actually have the kind of 3D we see in the theaters in our homes, but for now we're stuck with a very old technology. Luckily Warner Bros has included the 2D version of the film as well. The colours pop off the screen and actually might seem slightly over saturated at times. The picture is obviously flawless, because its a straight digital transfer.
3D version: 7 out of 10
2D version: 8.5 out of 10
Audio
Like the video transfer, the audio has been remixed for 5.1 DTS Master Audio. The results are quite spectacular. The film sounds as good or better than it probably did back in 1965. The dialogue comes across nice and clear but occasionally has that tinny sound. There are even directional effects as well, and they have been implemented with the utmost care. It amazes me what they can do with the restoration so many years after the fact.
8 out of 10
Extras
Here is what you get in the way of extras:
Extras include "Smokey and Steamer Song,"" You Look Familiar: the Many Polar Faces of Tom Hanks," 5 short featurettes on the gestation of this remarkable film, and a profile of Chris Van Allsburg, the author of the book on which the film is based. You also get Josh Groban performing the end title song, "Flurry of Effects", which consists of five motion capture sessions, "Snow Angels" (the filmmakers reminisce about Christmas) and the trailer.
Not much is here in the way of extras. If I had to pick I would say the "Many Polar Faces of Tom Hanks" It basically goes over all the different characters that Tom Hanks played. But for the rest of the features there isn't anything that is really worthy and if it is, it's usually too short. Everything really seems to be aimed at the kids though, which is not surprising.
5 out of 10
Overall
I will recommend the 2D version but not the 3D. I just couldn't see watching the whole film this way. Maybe just watch your favorite scenes in 3D. The 2D transfer is great and you get an updated soundtrack, the extras are nothing to write home about, but I still like the movie and I will recommend it based on that.
7 out of 10
The Polar Express in 3D is available now from Amazon.com