The Polar Express2004

Zemeckis-fest “…Sometimes, seeing is believing! And sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see.” So how does Zemeckis follow up his dramatic psychological paranormal mystery thriller…? Why with a motion capture children’s Christmas film about a magical train to the North Pole, of course! And would you believe if I told you this was the better film? Maybe it’s just because I love Christmas so much, but this is a fantastic modern classic. I understand why Zemeckis and other older directors end up relying so much on CGI because they see it as a way to achieve things only imaginable before. Unfortunately, they lose the understanding of what makes those practical effects that they HAD to use so special. Imagine what Back to the Future would be like if it was made today. It would be horrible. All green screens and CGI. And no heart.  But here there is still heart, and there really are things that couldn’t be accomplished outside the medium of animation. Some people, I’m sure, think this is the start of the downfall of Zemeckis’s career, but all I see here in and of itself is a creative film made by someone whose only desire is to entertain.  Definitely one of the Zemeckis films I’ve seen the most and one I will continue to watch every Christmas. — This is my 1000th review! Letterboxd has definitely improved my life to a certain degree and has made me think about films differently. I’ve also seen so many films I never would have heard of other wise. Thanks to everyone out there who reads this and thanks for all your reviews as well!