My Review of The Polar Express · 10:35pm Dec 20th, 2021

Rating Scale:

12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made

Greetings, my dear penguins and elves! This is Mr. J back with another movie review for today! This evening, I will be reviewing yet another underrated Christmas film entitled: The Polar Express from 2004. Folks, this is likewise another one of my favorite Christmas-themed movies of all time! This movie has amazing choreography, splendid 3D animation, heart-warming moments, and a beautiful storyline. I always loved this movie when I was a kid and often watched it not just during the Christmas season but even almost on occasion. It’s such a beautiful work of art that carries the spirit of Christmas, friendship, and mystery.

This all begins with a young boy who was doubting the existence of Santa Clause and had troubling sleeping in his bed with doubts flooding his mind. Suddenly, a thunderous locomotive arrives in his neighborhood where a strange conductor invites him to come along on the ride. Thus, he is introduced to friends and other kids who are taken to a wild adventure all the way to the North Pole. There, he and the others discover a whole new world where he learns more of Christmas.

The way that this film is written makes the audience a part of the fun ride due to the impressive visuals, camera movement, and the choreography. Dear goodness, I loved seeing that train on screen!

The humor was absolutely gold in my opinion. My favorite scene in the whole film is when the train grinds to a halt due to the caribou in the way of the train tracks. The conductor and the kids had to pull Smokey’s long beard to make him scream in order to make the animals get out of the way. It made me laugh my ass off every time. He and Steamer were so funny in this film.

The voice-over performances were likewise amazing. Tom Hanks was the MVP of this film for me; his role as the conductor was both well-done and hilarious at the same time. He somewhat reminds me of my 8th grade teacher in a way. Of course, the other voice actors were good too such as Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Micheal Jeter.

Almost everything about it was so wonderful and memorable. Just like with Disney’s 2009 film A Christmas Carol, it is both stunningly beautiful, well-paced, and well-executed that managed to get the message across: the magnificence of believing in what is right and keeping the holiday spirit alive. It’s no wonder I love it so much and think it deserves more appreciation than it does. Wherefore, I rate this a 10/10!

Peace!