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We watched Hugo this afternoon, the new film by Martin Scorsese, created in 3D.

It is at the same time a flawed film and a great film. It’s tremendously ambitious, and rooted in history, in that at its heart is the early French film-maker, Georges Méliès. It is a story suitable as a film for kids, and yet it has so much to offer adults.

When I heard about this movie, that it was filmed in 3D, I thought, ok, here we go, Scorsese has jumped on the 3D bandwagon. However, even though I found some of the 3D work to be a little irritating, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to wearing 3D glasses, it is integral to the film – so be sure to see the 3D version when you go see this one. And make no mistake this is a must-see film.

George Méliès was a great experimenter in film, responsible for early “magic” innovations, at a time when film-making was still in its infancy. Along the way, we learn he is a character in the film. Scorsese delves into 3D with this movie with mixed success, but he is jumping right into one of the major technical innovations in film today, his effort paralleling Méliès’ own willingness to innovate.

Hugo is the story of a young boy, orphaned, living in the clockworks of a train station, obsessed with repairing an old automaton, found and partially restored by his late father. He believes if it gets it to work, he will receive a message from his father. However, it is about much much more that that, and is very much tied to the history of cinema. It is also loaded with all kinds of references to art and film.

Hugo is a magical adventure, delightful, over-the-top and beautiful. I think this is a film which will be discussed for years to come.

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• ‘Hugo’ Review: Martin Scrosese’s Most Exultant Expression of His Love For Film (slashfilm.com)
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• What Hugo taught us about the grandfather of science fiction film, Georges Méliès [Video] (io9.com)
• David Edelstein reviews “Hugo,” “The Artist” (cbsnews.com)