Well Trained

Zemeckis' runaway-train action stuff is fantastic, though it may induce vertigo in older viewers while pleasing teenage boys who won't admit to liking the flick (this may be the darkest G-rated film ever made). Where the movie falters is when it gets back to the book and delivers time-honored platitudes about how the spirit of Christmas is in every one of us and Santa is the symbol of the spirit of giving, etc., etc. Young children may never have heard this stuff before, but you have, many times.

That said, if you have a chance to see the 3-D IMAX version of the movie, which is playing in Dallas, ignore any objections. Viewed on a grand scale and coming out of the screen, The Polar Express is a groundbreaking spectacle that makes you feel like you're at the beginning of something, like the first color film or the original Cinerama epics, and writ large, you'll appreciate the subtleties of "performance capture" even more. When the climax turns to sap, it is nonetheless soooo cool to look at that you won't care. But if your only choice is a regular 2-D screen, The Polar Express is still three-fourths of a great movie.