The animated G-rated Polar Express is a visually gorgeous movie, especially the steam engine sequences. The acting is good, and the script isn't bad. Yet it is a fundamentally rotten film. While the word Christmas is repeated many times, the movie is about the literal worship of the god Santa Claus. In this connection, the North Pole scenes on Christmas Eve have to be seen to be believed. I have always liked the figure of Santa, seeing in him a descendant of the gift-giving St. Nicholas and a charming American tradition. But after seeing this movie, I wonder if my Evangelical friends aren't right in having dumped him entirely.
