Enjoy Robert Zemeckis' family friendly film The Polar Express - running at selected IMAX theaters during the Christmas season in a specially re-mastered 3D version.
The Polar Express is a wonderful Christmas film from director Robert Zemeckis, famous for his Back to the Future films. It's regularly shown at Christmas in a 3D version at IMAX cinemas.
Reach Out and Touch the Snow
A truly magical experience in 3D, the snowflakes float over your head, the train thunders right out at you, and at one point you get a breathtaking roller-coaster eye view as the polar express careers up and down winding tracks at breakneck speed.
Festive Family Fun
The Polar Express is a lovely, family friendly film. The story concerns a little boy, who is beginning to doubt the existence of Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve he is waiting up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man in red, when much to his surprise, an enormous train rattles past his bedroom window. Invited aboard, he finds himself on rip roaring adventure of a journey to the North Pole.
The story is full of the joys of Christmas, focusing on subjects such as the importance of friendship, kindness, and believing in the magic all around you. The film is punctuated by some great songs, and the little hero boy and girl are certainly very likable characters. Although the film has been criticized for its over-simplistic approach at times - particularly the rather clumsy handling of the storyline concerning the lonely little boy from the wrong side of the tracks – on the whole there is enough Christmas good cheer to lift the spirits.
Groundbreaking Technology
Director Robert Zemeckis has long been at the forefront of technology, and this film, made in 2004, was groundbreaking in its use of motion capture to create a new kind of super-real animation. Tom Hanks is immediately recognizable, playing and voicing several of the characters. His performances (and everyone else's) were recorded by tracking sensors attached to the actors bodies, mapping the information to 3D models on computers and then building up the animation around them. It is a way of seamlessly fitting an actor into a digital environment.
The IMAX Experience
IMAX, or Image Maximum, film is ten times bigger than normal 35mm film. It is projected onto a huge cinema screen which enhances the viewing experience by taking into account the audiences peripheral vision. Watching an IMAX 3D film feels like you are really part of the action.
The 3D version of The Polar Express has outperformed the 2D version, and has been re-released every year at Christmas time in selected IMAX cinemas. The massive IMAX screens are the perfect way to watch this film, transforming it into a theatrical experience. It's a brilliant film to take the kids to see before Christmas, and will get everyone feeling warm and cozy.
Beowulf
Polar Express director Zemeckis' current big picture, Beowulf, has also been filmed using motion capture, and released in an IMAX 3D version. However, if you are lucky enough to catch Beowolf in 3D, you can be pretty sure it's not going to be snow flying in your face. More likely to be blood and guts!
Interested in other Christmas film recommendations?
Try 10 Classic Movies for Christmas and 10 Contemporary Christmas Movies.
