The Polar Express is a new holiday fantasy based on the famed children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. While the story was a short read, director Robert Zemeckis and co-writer William Broyles Jr. have expanded the tale into movie-sized affair - incluing several intrusive musical numbers.

Before I get to the actual review, I'd like to point out that I had the opportunity to see this movie as a 3-D Imax presentation. I can say that if you're in an area that's showing it in this format, go! It is the best possible way to see it. The 3-D effect heightens the overall experience, and not in a gimmicky way either. True, there are scenes in the picture where items fly right out of the screen, but it is the scope of the movie that is really enhanced by the 3-D format. When you see it, you'll know what I'm speaking of. Had I seen this movie in a regular theater, I honestly don't think I would have been nearly as impressed.

The Polar Express features a process called "motion capture," in which a live actor's performance is digitally captured by computerized cameras creating a virtual character. This process gives the film a Sky Captain sort of a look only here, it isn't only the sets that appear computer generated - the characters are too. The end result is something not quite real, but not quite fake either.

The story revolves around a young boy who has begun to question the existence of Santa Claus. One beautiful, snowy Christmas Eve while the young lad lay sleeping in his bed, a loud rumbling awakens him from his slumber. He jumps from his bed, creeps downstairs and runs out the front door to see a locomotive screeching to a halt in front of his house. From the train springs the conductor, who spouts a gleeful, "All aboard!", and the young boy reluctantly hops on the train. Thus, his adventure begins, but is it all just a dream - or is it really happening?

First off, let me talk a little about the look of the film. The "motion capture" process is unique but creepy, giving all the characters an emotionless appearance. Their movements and features are fine, but their actual facial expressions are a bit on the eerie side. Because of the process, smiles don't really look like smiles, and this makes it tough for the joyful nature of the proceedings to truly shine through. On the other hand, the film, as a whole, is quite breathtaking to look at. The landscapes and the amazing vision of the North Pole (complete with thousands of elves) are stunning.

The Polar Express opts to ditch the emotional core of the tale so that it might dazzle the audience with it's sweeping, visual splendor and it's high tech action sequences. While the original story is more about "believing," this aspect gets a little lost in the shuffle amid all grand visuals. Yes, there are moments that pull at the heartstrings, but that warm and fuzzy feeling one might get while watching Christmas Story or It's A Wonderful Life doesn't really come across.

The Polar Express is also surprisingly dark for a G rated picture, offering up some dark, creepy images that might scare younger viewers (watch for a freaky scene in which our young hero finds himself alone in a train car full of ominous looking marionettes). Roger Ebert recently made the observation that The Polar Express is a different kind of a family movie - one that's slightly creepy around the edges (i.e. The Wizard of Oz or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.) While I can see his point, I wouldn't put this picture in the same league as those other films. Still, it certainly does offer up some scenes that really knocked it out of the park for me. My favorite being a homage to Zemeckis' own feather sequence from Forrest Gump. It involves a floating train ticket and it's an absolute stunner.

Robert Zemeckis is truly a technical master. He isn't often mentioned with the likes of Steven Spielberg (someone he clearly draws inspiration from), George Lucas, and James Cameron, but he really should be. I still think his Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a technical masterpiece and I've always admired it's complexity. The Polar Express is also a technically complex film, and a wildly creative one. I only wish that the same amount of time and care that went into the technical execution of the movie, went into it's adaptation as well.

The musical numbers are pretty dull, particularly the ballad "When Christmas Comes to Town," a well-intentioned but sappy little tune that can't hold a candle to Fievel's cute "Somewhere Out There," from An American Tale. Tom Hanks shows up in multiple roles and he appears to be having a great time being a part of something that no one has ever really seen before. Of his multiple roles, I enjoyed his creepy hobo the most.

The Polar Express blew me away visually, but I was never really moved by it. It's attempt at showcasing the celebration and innocence of childhood never quite comes through in the way you might expect. As I stated, it's all buried by the relentless action. Somehow, I feel like Zemeckis and his crew could have found a better balance. As it stands, The Polar Express isn't a Christmas classic, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed by the look of it. Particularly in Imax 3-D.