It's not THAT bad - The Polar Express (2004) Discussion

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

Uh...is it just general knowledge that it's bad or something? Because this is one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. I made it a holiday tradition to watch it on Christmas.

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[–] Wuchak (8737) 6 years ago

It's a unique Christmas film, that's for sure. Some love it; Roger Ebert, for instance, gave it a perfect rating. But it has many vocal critics -- probably because it's so unique, not to mention the creepy dead eyes and somewhat lifeless vibe -- which explains why it only rates 6.6 on IMDb. My wife hated it while I was more in the middle.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8711) 6 years ago

I quite enjoy the first half of the film, while they're in the way to the North Pole. Once they get to the North Pole though the film feels off.

The NP is supposed to be a happy, cheery place, but the NP of The Polar Express does not give off that vibe at all. The elves all seem like creepy assholes. The environment feels cold, metallic and industrial. Even Santa doesn't seem right.

Frankly, I'm not sure what Zemeckis was thinking when he crafted the look and feel of the North Pole and its inhabitants. It's a shame the film can't keep up the momentum that it builds in its first half; if it did, it would be a film I really enjoy. As it stands though, it's only a film I sorta kinda like and always watch with some reluctance.

With all that said, I still usually catch it at least once every Christmas season. It's a crapshoot whether or not I change the channel as they're pulling into the North Pole, though.

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[–] strntz (12254) 6 years ago

The elves all seem like creepy assholes.

LOL! I never really thought about it in that regard but they are a bit odd if nothing else. But let's look at it this way; every animated Christmas movie that portrays elves shows them in pretty much the same sugary sweet way, and the NP for that matter.

This movie definitely breaks new ground in depicting the elves and the North Pole complex. For it's uniqueness, I really kind of enjoy the mega complex and the fact that it's inhabited by assholes..

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8711) 6 years ago

Ha, I dunno man.

It seems to me like everyone at the North Pole hates their jobs and is pissed off all the time and would rather be anywhere else. Ironically, for a place trying to generate Christmas cheer, the NP seems to have none of it.

It's definitely unique. But I just can't say that I like it.

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[–] strntz (12254) 6 years ago

It seems to me like everyone at the North Pole hates their jobs and is pissed off all the time and would rather be anywhere else.

In general, yes. But you've got to admit that at least the Steven Tyler looking elf was really on top of the world!!

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[–] Wuchak (8737) 6 years ago

Yeah, I was with this movie during the wintery opening and trip to the North Pole, for the most part anyway, as well as the kids' clandestine exploration of the gift factory. But, for me, everything sort of screeched to a halt with the public square sequence in the last act. It just got boring (I'd say it got weird, but it was already weird, lol). I thought for sure the towering-and-not-so-merry Santa was patterned after Christopher Lee with a pillow in his red coat.

I'm assuming Zemeckis based everything on the 1985 Christmas book, including the cold, un-merry last act. I remember skimming through it years ago, but that's about it, so I can't verify how faithful it is to the book.

At least "Polar Express" is different; there's nothing else like it.

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[–] PrimeMinisterX (8711) 6 years ago

I can tell you that the book provides only a rough general outline for the movie. The book is quite short, only 32 pages with just a short paragraph of text per page.

For instance:

https://www.biblio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Polar-Express-Interior-1024x719.jpg

So Zemeckis definitely added a lot to pad it out to feature-length. From what I recall, nearly all of the action elements were Zemeckis's invention and not in the book. And I am pretty sure the weird, creepy elves are also his invention as well.

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

No it isn't. As the narrator says at the end, "At one time most of my friends could hear the bell. But as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found, one Christmas, that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me...as it does for all who truly believe."
I am almost 70, and I can still hear the bell.

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[–] armyofd0rkness (15) 4 years ago

I loved the book as a kid, but I find the movie to be annoying (kid with glasses) and cheesy (the musical numbers). But for some reason my son loves it and it never got old even on the 50th viewing.

I would show him the book but for some reason he hates being read to... 😕