Please excuse the disadvantaged viewpoint, but having never read Roald Dahl’s source novel nor seen Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 big screen adaptation, it’s difficult to determine how much of the dark appeal of Robert Zemeckis’ remake can be attributed to the filmmaker. The setting’s been modified from England to Alabama at the tail end of 1967, but one would be hard-pressed to justify the shift, given how little mention is made of the Civil Rights Movement. (And what’s with the anachronistic disco dance-along to Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”?) If Polar Express was meant as a metaphor for the Kindertransport, surely all of the experimentation that goes on towards the outset is a direct nod to Dr. Mengele? Anne Hathaway’s Grand High Witch takes full advantage of her digitally extensible grin, barbering the scenery while her counterpart, Octavia Spencer’s alprazolam-voiced Granny, acts as a calming agent, lest the youngsters in the audience spend the first third of the picture looking on from behind a parent’s arm. The setup and payoff are exquisitely staged, and the visual humor, particularly the festival of exploding witches, is nowhere near as oppressive as Zemeckis’ past effects-hikes. The middle section could have used a support beam, however; the trio of transfigured mice leave one longing for the simpler times of Chip ‘N Dale. Wikipedia assures me that unlike its predecessor, this version’s ending is faithful to Dahl’s vision. If your kid’s nerves can stand it, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. (2020) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.