It's a CHRISTMAS FILM to be sure, yet somehow I found myself here reading "The Polar Express" reviews in May, funny what we humans do at times.
I saw this NOT at the cinema & not in 3D (at first) and although the story is the MAIN appeal, it's a lovely & engaging one, concerning how perhaps the MAGIC of Christmas becomes diminished over time with some...
Thankfully, I'm somewhat of a kid at heart still, so I liked it & that magic is still there with me, BUT...there WAS still, SOMETHING OFF...about this FIRST of it's KIND film & I can understand how others saw this & have commented on it here & stated in no uncertain terms that they didn't like it because of it, it can be a little jarring at first.
So, whilst the rendering of the Train, the Wildlife, the Snow & the Countryside are all good, when it comes to the FACE CAPTURE scenes it has to be said that there's a clear problem regarding these, it's now some decades later & these have almost been perfected now so these problems are less now, but these here (created back in 2004 as a first) need time to get used too.
It was at first a LOVE, HATE film for me...Loved everything about it except the HUMAN CHARACTERS or rather the WAY THEY LOOKED, although curiously enough not so much with the Tom Hanks character as the Train's ticket conductor or the Old 'Magical' Tramp type also found on the train, they somehow worked for me regardless of their rending...it's like they were like this as part of being the magical, different aspect to the film.
Here's the thing, I later I bought this on Blu-Ray & so clearly the quality was much better than the DVD but it also came with the ability to play a 3D version (some love 3D whilst others clearly don't) the ordinary Blu Ray disc makes little difference as to if you will enjoy this film more, it's sharper but the same character renderings are here even in sharper detail (so this may drive some away even more) although I have found that over time, if you watch this film ENOUGH TIMES it may just be that you grow to (if not like) the rendering of the Human Characters then at least be able to cope with them more, having understood it was a first & that the STORY remains the main appeal...
My Blu Ray copy of this was an early version & was the 3D anaglyph version, so yeah, those carboard blue & red lenses types & although there are clear faults at times with this version, it's a version I have LOVED the most...
Do we get ghosting at times with the outlines of things & characters? We sure do, in fact, I would say for approx. 25% of it it's running times we get these, especially with multiple characters on the train (understandable) and yet I can forgive it this & the colour we obviously use given these old style 3D type glasses because amazingly...
It equalises the characters renderings somewhat...
I wonder if anyone else having watched this 3D version of this film has ever seen or felt this to be the case... It becomes easier to live with the character renderings this way more & although the eyes feel tired after watching this anaglyph old 1950's version of 3D it works for me & is the way I've always watched it during the lead up to Christmas.
I'm aware that a 3D version was later released using the TRUE 3D glasses type, which one assumes would clean up such ghosting? As these glasses are much different... We had a 3D TV & true 3D Blu Ray but sadly by the time this version showed up for sale, our 3D TV had gave up the GHOST ;) sorry couldn't resist, so although we have a number of 3D blu ray discs we have nothing to play 'em on.
Some modern Home Projectors have the capability to play such 3D Blu Ray films still when coupled up to the 3D Blu Ray players?
I have no idea if it's just as simple as that? Or if you need extra synch type stuff to enable you to do so?
Hopefully someone will read this & clear up such things for others & myself....but for now...
This anaglyph 3D Blu Ray disc version is the way I shall continue to watch this truly magical, charming Christmas film (it has it's faults but like I said, strangely for me at least, it also levels up some of those original problems some have with the character renderings, by using through these types of 3D glasses they do seem to lessen such things & the depth draws you in even more, especially on a bigger screen)
Now where did I leave that bell ;) yup I own a Polar Express Bell & I can here it ring :)
I saw this NOT at the cinema & not in 3D (at first) and although the story is the MAIN appeal, it's a lovely & engaging one, concerning how perhaps the MAGIC of Christmas becomes diminished over time with some...
Thankfully, I'm somewhat of a kid at heart still, so I liked it & that magic is still there with me, BUT...there WAS still, SOMETHING OFF...about this FIRST of it's KIND film & I can understand how others saw this & have commented on it here & stated in no uncertain terms that they didn't like it because of it, it can be a little jarring at first.
So, whilst the rendering of the Train, the Wildlife, the Snow & the Countryside are all good, when it comes to the FACE CAPTURE scenes it has to be said that there's a clear problem regarding these, it's now some decades later & these have almost been perfected now so these problems are less now, but these here (created back in 2004 as a first) need time to get used too.
It was at first a LOVE, HATE film for me...Loved everything about it except the HUMAN CHARACTERS or rather the WAY THEY LOOKED, although curiously enough not so much with the Tom Hanks character as the Train's ticket conductor or the Old 'Magical' Tramp type also found on the train, they somehow worked for me regardless of their rending...it's like they were like this as part of being the magical, different aspect to the film.
Here's the thing, I later I bought this on Blu-Ray & so clearly the quality was much better than the DVD but it also came with the ability to play a 3D version (some love 3D whilst others clearly don't) the ordinary Blu Ray disc makes little difference as to if you will enjoy this film more, it's sharper but the same character renderings are here even in sharper detail (so this may drive some away even more) although I have found that over time, if you watch this film ENOUGH TIMES it may just be that you grow to (if not like) the rendering of the Human Characters then at least be able to cope with them more, having understood it was a first & that the STORY remains the main appeal...
My Blu Ray copy of this was an early version & was the 3D anaglyph version, so yeah, those carboard blue & red lenses types & although there are clear faults at times with this version, it's a version I have LOVED the most...
Do we get ghosting at times with the outlines of things & characters? We sure do, in fact, I would say for approx. 25% of it it's running times we get these, especially with multiple characters on the train (understandable) and yet I can forgive it this & the colour we obviously use given these old style 3D type glasses because amazingly...
It equalises the characters renderings somewhat...
I wonder if anyone else having watched this 3D version of this film has ever seen or felt this to be the case... It becomes easier to live with the character renderings this way more & although the eyes feel tired after watching this anaglyph old 1950's version of 3D it works for me & is the way I've always watched it during the lead up to Christmas.
I'm aware that a 3D version was later released using the TRUE 3D glasses type, which one assumes would clean up such ghosting? As these glasses are much different... We had a 3D TV & true 3D Blu Ray but sadly by the time this version showed up for sale, our 3D TV had gave up the GHOST ;) sorry couldn't resist, so although we have a number of 3D blu ray discs we have nothing to play 'em on.
Some modern Home Projectors have the capability to play such 3D Blu Ray films still when coupled up to the 3D Blu Ray players?
I have no idea if it's just as simple as that? Or if you need extra synch type stuff to enable you to do so?
Hopefully someone will read this & clear up such things for others & myself....but for now...
This anaglyph 3D Blu Ray disc version is the way I shall continue to watch this truly magical, charming Christmas film (it has it's faults but like I said, strangely for me at least, it also levels up some of those original problems some have with the character renderings, by using through these types of 3D glasses they do seem to lessen such things & the depth draws you in even more, especially on a bigger screen)
Now where did I leave that bell ;) yup I own a Polar Express Bell & I can here it ring :)