Weta translated Andy Serkis into Gollum, but here, the digital likeness looks and sounds like Hanks, but can't act for toffee.īeing a Robert Zemeckis film (thus my expectations were high and my ultimate disappointment multiplied), Alan Silvestri is along for the ride and while the album doesn't look promising, just under half an hour of his music is included, mainly songs co-written with Glen Ballard. In any event, when a CGI, motion capture character such as Gollum can be every bit as 'real' as his co-stars, that Tom Hanks' movements and expressions are so woodenly rendered in The Polar Express makes his participation somewhat pointless. As a couple of reviewers pointed out, it's almost pointless aiming for fully realised digital humans when you might as well use the real thing (except for stunts that would be too costly/impossible), incorporated into digital backgrounds. However, beyond the gorgeous backgrounds and wealth of stunning minor details (such as realistically imperfect foot prints in the snow), the digital characters that inhabit this superbly rendered world are oddly expressionless, verging on creepy. I was fortunate enough to catch The Polar Express in 3D IMAX and in that format, it is undoubtedly impressive and often beautiful to look at, even if there is the nagging feeling that much of the (virtual) camera work is done with the specific intention of wowing the IMAX audience. I was staggered to note that Roger Ebert included The Polar Express on his top ten film list of 2004 - especially in a year that brought us superb CGI flicks Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, yet neither of those featured.

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