Rate this Movie 
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:38
Fresh:20
Rotten:18
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Though the movie is visually stunning overall, the animation for the human characters isn't lifelike enough, and the story is padded.
Theatrical Release:Nov 10, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $332,646
Synopsis: Director Robert Zemeckis revolutionized the art of animated film in 1998's WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT by dropping cartoon characters into the same frame with flesh-and-blood actors. In THE POLAR... [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Peter Scolari, Nona Gaye
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Strap yourself in and try not to vomit, because this is more of a theme-park event than a movie -- Pirates of the Caribbean in reverse, a wild ride stripped of its story, down to a rattling series of obvious, underwhelming effects.
Top CriticA failed and lifeless experiment in which everything goes wrong.
Top CriticA truly satisfying holiday picture, the kind everyone can enjoy, and which may even restore a little lost childhood in many adult viewers.
Top CriticWithout a trace of real live people, you get special effects that are not special, visual talking points without personality, virtual reality that is anything but real.
Top CriticFaithful to its source but stretches it to the snapping point.
Top CriticNot only do Van Allsburg's darkly magical illustrations come to glorious life in the film; so, too, do his familiar words.
Top CriticSimple and evocative, yet teeming with intriguing visual effects.
Top CriticIf I were a kid, I'd have nightmares. Come to think of it, I did anyway.
Top CriticBarrels across the trackless landscape of our affections, arriving where no one would have thought to look for a big-budget Hollywood movie: in the terrain of the heart.
Top CriticAn enchanting, beautiful and brilliantly imagined film that constitutes a technological breakthrough.
Top CriticVisually, taking its cues (mostly) from Van Allsburg's Hopperesque art, The Polar Express is eye-popping. Storywise, however, it can be eyelid-drooping.
Top CriticWatching the dead-eyed population of Polar Express and their supposedly 'natural' movements made me think more of Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" than anything associated with Christmas.
Top CriticA botched technological experiment of Tron proportions, cold, remote and creepy rather than engaging, warm and jolly.
Top CriticDevoid of 21st-century irony, this visually stunning, action-packed yuletide treat is sweet and, yes, magical in a way that will enchant kids and give older viewers a twinge of nostalgia.
Top CriticIt's a sensation -- both a milestone in computer-animation and a likely Christmas classic.
Top CriticI loved watching this movie; I loved even more watching children hugging mothers watching this movie.
Top CriticZombies have their place, but not in Christmas movies.
Top CriticLooks as reassuringly retro as a 1950s Lionel train set still in its original box.
Top CriticAlthough it occasionally makes us feel as if whimsy has been run over by a train, Polar Express achieves some genuine enchantment, offering just enough storybook comfort to keep from flying off the rails.
Top CriticPolar Express honors its source, then exceeds it.
Top Critic
May 19, 2009:
Cannes 2009: Carrey and co. Present A Christmas Carol
Big, fat flakes of white snow suddenly began tumbling down in the roasting afternoon heat of the Cannes Film Festival yesterday. It wasn't global warming. It was just Cannes.... More...
November 15, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Beowulf Set To Conquer Multiplexes
One animated film will bump another from the number one spot at the North American box office. But the new warrior Beowulf is no B movie but an A-list production from an... More...
August 23, 2007:
One Justice League of America Rumor Cleared Up, Another Started
Forget The Dark Knight and Iron Man -- the big comic-book adaptation everyone's talking about this week is Justice League of America, the superhero extravaganza that's... More...
July 31, 2007:
Sony Planning Three More Motion Capture Flicks
You know that fancy "motion capture animation" technique that's been employed in The Polar Express, Monster House, and the upcoming Beowulf? Looks like Sony Imageworks is... More...
Moviefone lists their top ten nude scenes from film in 2009.
Thomas Leupp offers us Hollywood.com's take on the best films of the year.
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds
Comment
