Méliès in Paris

If there’s one film I thought I would never see converted into 3D, it was Georges Méliès’ 1902 fantasy “A Trip to the Moon.” 

Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” grants this bizarre wish with a visionary, lovely and wondrous film made for kids but dedicated to film fanatics.

Although it essentially is a fantasy biopic of Méliès, arguably the first pioneer of cinema, there is much to love in this story about the orphan Hugo Cabret, who works tirelessly to repair a complex wind-up toy while living in the walls and clocks of a 1920s Parisian train station.

I became giddy as I watched this fantastical mystery with clues dripping in film history unfold. Scorsese is revitalizing and swimming in his historical fantasy in much the same way Woody Allen did this year with “Midnight in Paris.”

“Hugo” is a breathtaking miracle of 3D special effects. Every shot dives deep into the fascinating digital locales, and just watching the camera move about is stunning. 

Like Hugo, a boy obsessed and fascinated with the meticulous parts and inner workings of mechanics, I, too, marveled at the many tricks Scorsese had up his sleeve.

“Hugo” is one of the magical joys of the year, and everything works like clockwork.