HTF HD DVD REVIEW: The Polar Express (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED).

The Polar Express
HD DVD







Studio: Warner Brothers
Format: HD DVD / VC-1
Year: 2004
Rated: G
Film Length: 100 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Widescreen
Audio: DD+ 5.1
Color/B&W: Color
Languages: English, French & Spanish
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
MSRP: $28.99
Package: Single disc/Red HD DVD Keepcase.





The Feature:
It’s Christmas Eve and a boy so looking forward to the big day, is unable to sleep. He spends his time in bed listening intently for clues as he wants to believe in Santa Claus, but his maturing sense of logic tells him that his belief is unlikely. However, rather than hearing the usual noises one would associate with a visit from the big guy, the house is consumed with noise of a train which comes to a screeching halt just outside of his house.

"All aboard!" calls the conductor. "Where are you going?" asks the boy. "Why, the North Pole, of course! This is The Polar Express."

Let the journey begin. On board, he meets three of the other youthful passengers: a know-it-all, a shy boy, and an outgoing girl who lacks confidence. He even meets a mysterious hobo and the engineers who run the train. The helpful but somewhat stern conductor is always present, and offers tidbits of wisdom as the journey unfolds. Ultimately, the trip seems more like a roller coaster ride than a simple train ride - literally.

It is the opinion of this reviewer that The Polar Express is one of the finest Christmas films to have been produced in years. While many of the naysayers claimed the film brought nothing “new” to the table, what would one expect to be brought? It’s a Christmas film – the universal theme is fairly basic. However, the execution is where the film succeeds. There’s that sense of connection that so many recent Christmas films lack. The film contains something for everyone. Children will appreciate its excitement and energy, while adults are guaranteed to be taken back in time. Really, this is the very essence of the film.

Details within the film are amazingly real and lifelike due to the manner in which the “motion-control animation” was employed. Aside from the characters, film fans are sure to recognize other “familiar touches”, such as one in which a ticket makes a swirling round-trip journey that includes an run-in with an eagle as well as other obstacles – a scene that no doubt fans will find reminiscent of the feather sequence at the opening of Forrest Gump - another Zemeckis film. There is a point on the journey where hot chocolate is served, which results in a spectacular song-and-dance number which seems a rather odd fit and is strangely placed, but is charming, nonetheless.

Tom Hanks plays most of the character roles, although he only looks like himself in one of them. Hanks takes on six parts: the conductor, the boy, the boy's father, the mysterious hobo, a Scrooge puppet, and Santa Claus. Other voice performances include Michael Jeter (in his final screen appearance before his death and to whom the film is dedicated) as the two engineers, Nona Gaye (who, by the way is Marvin Gaye’s daughter) as the girl, Peter Scolari as the lonely boy, and Eddie Deezen as the know-it-all kid – man, that kid is annoying.

The Feature: 4.5/5




Video:
The HD DVD version of this film is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and is a fantastic visual experience. From a technical standpoint, The Polar Express is a masterpiece. It is the first movie to use motion capture for its entire length. For motion capture, an actor wears a special suit containing dozens of sensors that relay details of his movement to a computer while he performs in front of a blue screen. This permits a computer to develop a virtual, three-dimensional image of the actor that can then be manipulated by the animators. The result allows the characters to appear much like real human beings while still retaining a slightly, albeit waxy and sometimes creepy "animated" look – really, my only complaint of the end result. While this transfer takes on that slightly waxy or ghostly look, it clearly represents my theatrical experience.

The film is a mixture of live action and computer animation which allows Zemeckis to devise a world unlike anything we have seen on screen before, yet populate it with real looking people. In addition, The Polar Express was designed with 3D IMAX theaters in mind (it is the first feature-length movie to feature the IMAX three-dimensional process).

That said, like the SD version, there is an impressive amount of detail to be seen here - the HD version merely steps things. All facets of the image are sharp and well defined. Colors are vibrant and nicely saturated. Skin tones have a rather pasty look to them, but to be fair, this was identical to my theatrical experience. Blacks were rich and deep and whites were always clean and crisp.

There is virtually no grain to speak of and the image, as we would expect for such a newly released direct-to-digital film is absolutely immaculate and free of any blemishes or marks. The authoring seems to have been handled to perfection as compression errors were non existent as were any signs of edge enhancement.

Near perfection.

Video: 9.5/10





Audio:
The soundtrack presented is a Dolby Digital+ 5.1 and for the most part is almost as impressive as its video counterpart. Surprisingly, a Dolby TrueHD track hasn’t been included. There’s nothing like a train to show off the dynamics on one’s home theater – well, there’s plenty of it here, folks. Really, the train effects here are absolutely amazing.

There are some great examples of punch and heft as the locomotive pulls up and rumbles through the rest of the journey. Your subwoofer will be put to good use and will see lots of action. Surrounds were also employed effectively and to great extent – always tactfully however, and never sounding gimmicky.

Dialogue was always crystal clear and intelligible. Even during the musical sequences, everything remained clear and the track never became thin or fatiguing. Although a slightly wider soundstage would have made this almost perfect track, perfect. The track remains natural throughout and is perfectly clean and free of any other noisy distractions.

The soundtrack is also very adept at showing off the finer details of the film i.e. bells, the snapping of cloth, the clanging of toys, the cracking of ice etc. Fine detail is well represented here.

Overall, an excellent job.

Audio: 9/10





Special Features:
The special features from the Two Disc SD version have been ported over and look like this:

• First up is You Look Familiar which contains a number of movie clips and behind the scenes footage. Director-writer-producer Robert Zemeckis, actor and executive producer Tom Hanks and producer Steve Starkey offer their comments throughout this featurette. An interesting piece but it ends before we have any time sink our teeth into it. Duration: 4:11 minutes.
  
  
• A Genuine Ticket To Ride starts with an introduction that lasts 1:48 minutes. The feature is broken into five individual segments starting with:
  - Performance Capture
  - Virtual Camera
  - Hair and Wardrobe
  - Creating the North Pole
  - Music
  This is a feature that focuses mostly on the technical aspects of the film with each specializing in the named segment. Eventually we hear from Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston, music composer Alan Silvestri, songwriter Glen Ballard, Josh Groban, and author-executive producer Chris Van Allsburg. Considering the technical orientation of the film and 5 rather complex aspects you’ll be surprised to learn that the entire duration of this feature is only 11:27 minutes. This is hardly enough time to spend on such issues. This could have – and should have been the crown jewel of the features. Clearly, this is formatted for the little ones – and shouldn’t have been.
  
  
• Next up is, True Inspirations: An Author’s Adventure which focuses on the original author, Van Allsburg. The author discusses his childhood as well as interest in writing. The feature is formatted in a storybook manner showing many family photographs. He also talks about the book including his inspiration for writing it and his interest in art. Interesting and brief. Duration: 5:29 minutes.
  
  
• A performance by Josh Groban At The Greek is included where the young performer sings the song from the film, “Believe”. Talk about a guy who doesn’t look like he sounds – what a voice! An outstanding performance of the popular song, which sounds terrific in the HT. Duration: 4:43 minutes.
  
  
• In Behind The Scenes of Believe we hear from Groban once again as well as Glen Ballard as they discuss the song’s creation and its recording including the actual session. Interesting and again, brief. Duration: 4:24 minutes.
  
  
• Next up is a kid’s game entitled, Polar Express Challenge. The game seems rather geared for the youngest of fans and I didn’t spend much time with it.
  
  
• Meet The Snow Angels includes tidbits from Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis, Nona Gaye as well as other cast & crew members as they discuss their favorite holiday moments. Duration: 2:44 minutes.
  
  
• The next feature is entitled THQ Game Demo which is another game for the kids although, admittedly, I didn’t spend much time with it.
  
  
• The final feature is an Additional Song that was cut which Michael Jeter is clearly the focus of here playing both characters. The name is rather misleading as the song is only a fraction of the actual cut scene. The Executive Producer, Jack Rapke makes an appearance here as he introduces the clip and offers it as a sort of dedication to the late actor who died during the film’s production. Great to see, but I can surely see why it was cut. The clip appears in its raw form as it was never finished. Duration: 7:02 minutes.
  
  
• The Theatrical Trailer is the lone feature on disc one and runs a mere 1:02 minutes. Surprisingly, no commentary appears within the set.
  
  I’ve come to not expect much from the special features, particularly from newer releases and really, this is no exception. Despite the lack of anything exclusive to this HD version, there’s a little something for everyone here.
  
  Special Features: 3/5
  
  
  **Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity. Video and Audio portions will be rated from 0-10. The remainder of the review will continue being rated from 0-5 (similar to SD DVD reviews). Since the ratings are not averaged, the final Overall Rating will be from 0-5.**
  
  
  
  Final Thoughts:
  I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that after I saw the film theatrically, I was a bit creeped out. I don’t know if it was the waxy-corpse-like looking characters, the bizarre and oddly placed “hot chocolate refreshment routine” or the even weirder Hitler-youth-like gathering rally at the end of the film. But I can tell you this; my initial impressions have changed drastically upon multiple viewings and the film has become a fan-favorite among the little ones in the house as they patiently await the big day.
  
  In fact, my feelings have warmed up to a point where I would call The Polar Express one of the best family Christmas films to come out of Hollywood for some time and, there's no question that Express is destined to become a Christmas cinematic classic. It has been a long time since there has been a family holiday movie that is this strong. The film exudes an endearing charm and drives home the magical message especially for those young ones on the cusp.
  
  Like the SD version, the disc represents my theatrical experience to a tee, so no complaints from these quarters. The Polar Express HD DVD represents another of Warner’s solid “A” titles to hit the newest format and it too has been well worth the wait. The A/V presentation is every bit and then some, of what we’ve come to expect from a big budget modern release. The special features are a mixed bag, if not just slightly underwhelming, but there’s something here for everyone. If you’re in search of a charming new holiday film for the entire family, look no further than The Polar Express.
  
  All abooooaaaarrrrrd…!
  
  Overall Rating: 4.5/5 (not an average)
  
  
  Highly Recommended…!!
  
  
  
  
  
  Release Date: October 10th, 2006