The Polar Express [2018]

Product Information

I am compelled to note that the menus for The Polar Express are highly annoying, as they are extremely lengthy and unskippable. I did discover later that when the anti-piracy screen is playing, if you press "menu" repeatedly you'll finally jump to the static menu screen. The story seems to be a fairly linear one, but only in retrospect. As the film develops, there are constantly hints that the story could go in this, that, or another direction, so we never really know what to expect next... and as a result, we're in exactly the right mindset to be open to whatever wonderful or delightful surprise is around the next corner. In terms of the story arc, the journey is the destination: except for the scene at the heart of the film, the child characters are always moving forward literally as well as figuratively. That's no coincidence; the film takes on the metaphor of life as a journey so completely that it ceases to be a metaphor and becomes a magical reality. There's a sense that the train ride for the characters is exactly as long as it needs to be, and that the figures of the conductor and the hobo are much more powerful than they seem to be at first glance. The Polar Express: Two-Disc Widescreen Edition is, as its name points out, a two-disc set. The film appears on the first disc, while the special features are on the second.

Colors and contrast are perfect, with warm, bright, or dark tones as needed in any particular scene, and excellent use of light and shadow to create an interesting atmosphere. As we'd expect, the print is absolutely clean, and the overall visual impression is a highly pleasant one. The only flaw I noticed was a very slight bit of artifacting in the occasional long-distance shot, but overall The Polar Express has a solid and nicely handled transfer. All in all, quite an imaginative and innovative achievement--impressive enough to assure its place among future Christmas favorites with unlimited appeal for the young in heart. The message of Christmas is lightly hinted at but when Tom Hanks as the train conductor tells the little boy, "The true meaning of Christmas is in your heart," we can be assured that children everywhere will definitely "get it". The transfer of The Polar Express looks extremely good. It's presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and is anamorphically enhanced. When the closing credits roll and you think "I want to watch that movie again!" you know you've just seen something special. That's the case with The Polar Express: it's a polished little gem of a film that tells its story exactly right and leaves you feeling charmed and delighted... just like the protagonist, the little boy who falls asleep on Christmas Eve wondering if Santa Claus really exists, only to be woken up by the thunderous arrival of the Polar Express to take him on a trip to the North Pole to meet the great man himself.On the one hand there are many delightful moments in THE POLAR EXPRESS, not the least of which is the entire look of the film--appealing in a way that great illustrations of children's books always are to young and old. Tom Hanks and the others enter into the spirit of the whole thing with gusto--and all the performances are right on target.

Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. One of the hardest things for a fantasy-flavored film or story to do is to retain its atmosphere of awe and magic even after the characters have interacted with the magical world and plumbed its secrets, so the fact that The Polar Express never sheds that atmosphere is very impressive indeed. For one thing, The Polar Express leaves some aspects of the story mysterious, never explaining who or what the hobo is; the result is that the train (and the experience as a whole) retains its magical aura even at the very end of the film. There's also the brilliant choice of never telling us the names of the characters. I've always held that one mark of a good film is that you don't need to remember names to fully engage with the story, and The Polar Express meets that standard completely, as all of the characters (except for Santa) are kept nameless in a totally natural manner: there's never any moment during the film in which we would need to know their names. It's an indication of polished storytelling, but it's also something more. By keeping the child characters without names, especially the protagonist, The Polar Express underlines the idea that this is a magical experience that could happen to any child, anywhere, at any time. The boy protagonist has his own personality, to be sure, but it's kept low-key enough that he can be an Everyboy, for any viewer (adult or child) to imagine as himself or herself. Visually, The Polar Express is a treat. Here we can see computer graphics coming to maturity in film; the technology is used here to create a picture-book world with a soft, magical feel to it that not only is faithful to the look of the original picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, but is also perfectly matched to the tone of the film. Technology also makes it possible to create some simply amazing shots, and entire scenes, that would have been impossible otherwise. The "dancing waiters" sequence is eye-poppingly clever and engaging, for instance, but then again, the entire film is filled with one scene after another that offers breathtaking images and amazing visual flights of fancy (sometimes literally so).And to add a cozier touch to the proceedings, certain famous Christmas songs are interjected at intervals to give the North Pole--and the film--a warmer glow. Item: 166433861732 Polar Express 3D Blu-Ray 3D Blu-ray DVD & Digital Copy Christmas Film Tom Hanks. A great Christmas film for the family. This is a Bllue-ray 3D DVD of "The Polar Express" featuring Tom Hanks, this edition also includes blue, DVD and digital copy rated U. A great Christmas film for the family. All discs and case in a good condition. On the other hand, much of the film is an excuse to dazzle with roller-coaster-like rides on the express train that roars across various landscapes making wild leaps and turns, all the while thrilling us with a sense of adventure and excitement. For the very young, the ride might be a scary one, especially when the daring young hero rides atop the train during a blustery snowstorm.

On the topic of music, there's a 4-minute performance of the song "Believe" by Josh Groban, and a 4-minute "Behind the Scenes of 'Believe'" piece. The last substantial special feature is an additional song, presented in rough cut format and running about 7 minutes. The last and most minor special features include a mini-game in which you steer the train (no big thrills there) and a trailer for the upcoming Polar Express computer game.