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*** Official THE POLAR EXPRESS Discussion Thread

post #1 of 37
10/24/04 at 4:31am
Thread Starter 
Rave review. The film seems to have been filmed live-action and then digitally "rotoscoped". Anyway go here for review.
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post #2 of 37
10/24/04 at 5:32am
My pal Erik saw a screening at the Chicago Film Festival, and he was raving like a schoolboy. In a good way.
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post #3 of 37
10/24/04 at 5:49am
Thread Starter 
This film along with "The Incredibles" (also getting excellent "buzz" in a Time article) will make it a booming Holiday for animation.
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post #4 of 37
10/24/04 at 8:27am
I have been looking forward to it for some time now:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=168243
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post #5 of 37
10/24/04 at 2:32pm
An IMAX 3-D version?! WOW!
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post #6 of 37
10/24/04 at 2:59pm
Quote:
My pal Erik saw a screening at the Chicago Film Festival, and he was raving like a schoolboy. In a good way.


Wow, I'll have to give it a chance then. I haven't liked any of the trailers thus far.
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post #7 of 37
10/24/04 at 3:15pm
The trailers didn't do anything for me either, but I'm keeping the faith in Zemeckis. Trailers can't convey heart (see The Iron Giant campaign). Pixar movies are trailer friendly but the sitcom stuff that gets into those trailers are not the reason we love the films.
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post #8 of 37
10/29/04 at 2:25pm
Too bad more theatres aren't equipped for IMAX 3-D (though the number is constantly growing)





It is very cool that the 3-D version is being released on the same day as the flat/2-D release so those of us near an IMAX venue don't have to wait to see the film or (shudder) see it flat.





POLAR EXPRESS is the first ever IMAX 3-D feature length film. If it is successful at all, I wouldn't be surprised to see future CGI family films follow suit.





BTW, we are talking about polarized (clear glasses) 3-D here, and not the inferior red/blue technique used to project SPY KIDS.
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post #9 of 37
11/7/04 at 4:55am
I haven't watched the film yet, but from what I've seen of the animation in the trailers I'm not too impressed. It looks very stiff and forced to me. Every time I see any footage from The Polar Express my eye is immediately drawn to the awkwardness of the characters' movement.
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post #10 of 37
11/7/04 at 5:20am
This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "The Polar Express" please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "The Polar Express" should be posted to the Official Review Thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy
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post #11 of 37
11/7/04 at 6:16am
Quote:
I haven't watched the film yet, but from what I've seen of the animation in the trailers I'm not too impressed. It looks very stiff and forced to me. Every time I see any footage from The Polar Express my eye is immediately drawn to the awkwardness of the characters' movement.

I agree. Isn't it all basically just motion capture? It's like doing a cel animation film and hyping up the film's technique by saying that you rotoscoped the whole thing.
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post #12 of 37
11/7/04 at 7:27am
Thread Starter 
There have been some early reviews that mention the "deadness" in the eyes of the characters. I noticed this in the trailers (No such thing for "The Incredibles" though!).
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post #13 of 37
11/7/04 at 8:12am
I got to see this on Friday.. short thought.. the animation kind of creeps me out. I can't say what it is about it, but I found it far more creepy then entertaining. I'll think about a longer type review and post it later.
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post #14 of 37
11/7/04 at 10:00am
I'm afraid this film will suffer from the 'Uncanny effect' coined by a Japanese robotics engineer and mentioned by Roger Ebert in some of his reviews. The effect states that as a robot becomes more human in appearance, a persons acceptance of it increases up to a point. However, if the similarity crosses that point the uncanny effect slips in and the similarity becomes creepy and off-putting. I believe its one reason why Final Fantasy was not a greater success and I fear it will affect the Polar Express. When the characters are "almost human" the human brain which is hardwired to know human faces and moves begins to seek out inconsistencies in the image. Seeing the trailer I was disturbed by the deadness in the eyes and masklike effect of the faces.
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post #15 of 37
11/7/04 at 3:00pm
That might describe it. I have no idea what it is about the film, but it did give me the willies. Something about it just seemed almost morbid. I know that's a strange way to look at a kid's film, but I couldn't get the thought out of my head.

Maybe it is the eyes of the characters, or whatever, but I just had this terrible "skin crawl" kind of feeling about it that despite the storyline I couldn't get over.

To be really honest, I almost never have bad dreams about films, but man, I had a psychotic dream with some of the characters from this film in it the night after I watched it.
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post #16 of 37
11/7/04 at 5:12pm
I think the CGI animation will hurt this movie rather than help it.

I really don't buy the notion that this had to be CGI only. If Harry Potter can be done in live action, this could have been also.

People want to see the real Tom Hanks not a CGI "almost real" version.
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post #17 of 37
11/7/04 at 10:28pm
I saw this movie on Saturday. I loved the script, the story and the action sequences, which are so imaginative as to knock your socks off. I will go see it again in IMAX 3-D as I'm sure it will be an amazing experience.

IMO, the animation of the actors wasn't even as realistic as FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN. The "people" in the film looked waxy and limited in expression and depth. Every time the lip movement didn't match the voice, I was reminded that I was looking at something in its very, very early stages of development. It's kind of the way I felt in the 60's when I looked at stop motion animation and imagined that one day it would be done seamlessly. I think that's where we are with digital actors today, in the stop-motion phase of their development, so to speak.

And yet, the story and Zemeckis' touches are so much better than anything you saw in FANTASY, it wouldn't surprise me if this movie does end up as some kind of classic. It deserves to.

Just one parental warning: the action is way too intense for kids under 7 or 8. There were a couple of 5 year-olds behind us in the theater who were totally freaked out by the cliffhanging action.

Otherwise, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
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post #18 of 37
11/8/04 at 4:46pm
Count me as another who finds this animation creepy.



quote:
I was reminded that I was looking at something in its very, very early stages of development. It's kind of the way I felt in the 60's when I looked at stop motion animation and imagined that one day it would be done seamlessly.




I don't see the similarity; those Rankin and Bass holiday specials have a charm and warmth that has nothing to do with them being realistic or seamless.



The animation in The Polar Express looks like dead wax marionetts being pulled on strings. Compared to the "fakeness" of something like Team America, which actually were puppets on strings, I'll take the non-seamless variety.



It is the facial expressions, dead eyes, and awful lack of a sense of "motivation" under the movements that just isn't working to this films advantage.
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post #19 of 37
11/15/04 at 9:59am
The IMAX 3-D version is amazing. Many previous IMAX 3-D films have had major photographic errors resulting in eye-strain causing moments, but THE POLAR EXPRESS is flawless.
The giant screen and depth added immeasurably to the film---I can't imagine seeing it on the small, flat screen.

I didn't mind the animation in the context of the film, though it did look creepy in the trailers.

3-D tip (IMAX or otherwise): get to the theatre early and sit as far back as possible and in the center. Avoid the first few rows.
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post #20 of 37
11/15/04 at 8:52pm
Paul,

Glad you liked it! BTW, on the Hanks thing, I wasn't saying that him voicing multiple characters wasn't intentional, I'm sure it was.

I was wondering "why" they did it that way. What was the intent of doing it that way? Were they trying to maintain the "is it real, is it a dream" thing by having everybody sort of sounded like the kid's Dad?

That's my half baked theory anyway...
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post #21 of 37
11/17/04 at 7:01pm
I will second what Steve has said, the family just got back from seeing this at the Imax and this is a amazing 3D movie experience, if you have a Imax near you and this is playing go see it. Big Thumbs Up
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post #22 of 37
11/24/04 at 7:04pm
The IMAX 3D experience was simply awesome! Give yourself and others this gift if you have the rare opportunity.
It was something that I'll never forget.
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post #23 of 37
11/27/04 at 2:38am
When my wife and I saw this on the weekend after it opened, we were surprised at how empty the theater was. After seeing The Incredibles in an almost-packed house, we knew why.

However, the experience of seeing The Polar Express (even though we live in Hawai'i and never experienced this kind of Winter climate) was joyous, regardless of how the animation looked. The story and execution were fantastic and we loved the message...

"BELIEVE" (which we did with this movie, too)

And in response to IMAX theaters growing in numbers: Not here. Our one IMAX theater (next to the now-gone Waikiki Theatres) went with those Waikiki Theatres. The Polynesian Cultural Center IMAX Theater only shows stuff aimed at tourists. They don't show mainstream Hollywood IMAX films.
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post #24 of 37
12/6/04 at 7:56am
We saw this in IMAX 3D yesterday. What an absolutely incredible experience!! This is not one of those gimmicky "stuff flies out out of the screen" things. It is, however, incredibly immersive, with one breathtaking sight following another in rapid succession. The Polar Express is, at least in the 3D format, a moving work of art. If you live anywhere near one of these theaters do not miss your chance to see this.
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post #25 of 37
12/6/04 at 7:43pm
Saw Polar Express in IMAX 3-D a few hours ago, and everybody here at the HTF that lives within two hours' drive of a 3-D Imax theater owes it to themselves to go see this. I don't care how you find a way to get to the theater, just get there. If you let this slip by, you are going to be missing out on one of the most memorable theater-going events in recent years. Yeah, its that good. I can't reccomend this movie higher.
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post #26 of 37
12/6/04 at 8:54pm
Didn't much care for the movie, but as a 3D experience it was AMAZING.

I'd seen 3D before with Jaws 3D, Friday the 13th part 3D and one or two others that came out in the mid eighties, but this was completely different. In other 3d films you basically get a normal film with one or two scenes with something sticking out at you, like the Yo-Yo in House of Wax. In The Polar Express the entire film used the 3D effect to enhance every scene.

I feel like I've seen my first "talkie" or color film.

I truly hope IMAX - 3D is the wave of the future.


Imagine how I'd feel if I actually liked the flick. :wink:
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post #27 of 37
12/7/04 at 7:23am
We very much enjoyed it, though I wish we could have seen it in IMAX. We took our four-year-old daughter and she liked it as well. I found nothing creepy about the look of the characters. The eyes and mouths didn't bother me at all.

We'll be getting the DVD on release day and I'm sure this will be required viewing during future holiday seasons.
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post #28 of 37
12/7/04 at 8:05am
Quote:
The animation, which works so wonderfully on the train itself and the backgrounds, was kind of creepy when applied to
the humans and, especially, the elves. It's nothing I can put my finger on, perhaps it's getting too close, I dunno. I had no problem with Yoda, or Gollum, but the characters here just didn't work as well for me
I think the reason why Gollum and Yoda work is because they are fictional characters. The reason why the Polar Express characters were "Creepy" was because they were as close to human figures as the technology would allow.

We have come SO close to replicating human characters in 3D, that our minds are actually believing that they are REAL. So the fact that they aren't real, really freaks us out when a character does something that isn't "right" (i.e. something that goes against the wway nature works).

This is why the figures seemed like corpses. It felt as if they took real humans (because they looked real) and put animatronics in them (because they were almost stiff-like).

The "dead" faces made the characters look creepy. If they used a more stylized approach (like Dreamworks does with Shrek), then you wouldn't be as bothered by it because your mind knows the figures aren't real.

This is exactly what people have been saying by the technology is becoming TOO advanced. The 3D characters look so real and our minds are believing the illusion so much that it's creeping us out when something breaks us away from that illusion (i.e. and brings us back into the animated world).
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post #29 of 37
12/9/04 at 1:45pm
I usually am not so late to the game, but I just saw the IMAX 3D version last night and LOVED it. One of the best movie-going experiences I ever had.

I take it by all the comments here that the flat version isn't as good. Therefore, I hope to never see that version, and to never watch it on TV. I hope to go back to the IMAX 3D version year after year....
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post #30 of 37
12/15/04 at 8:52am
Just curious: are the reviews based on the flat version, or the IMAX 3-D version? It seems everyone who sees it flat comes away less than impressed, but nearly everyone who's seen the 3-D version can't say enough good things about it.

Me...I've only seen it in 3-D, and have no plans to see it flat.
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