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Posted on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 9:35 a.m.

'Hugo' very well crafted, but falls short of magical

By AnnArbor.com Freelance Journalist

Hugo
Now showing at Rave, Quality 16, Showcase Review by Jeff Meyers of the Metro Times
Grade: B

Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Brian Selznick’s gorgeously illustrated novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" is more for film-lovers than filmgoers. That’s less of a compliment than you might think.

From its magically executed opening, a dazzling 3-D shot that descends from the heavens, races along the Parisian railways, careens through the hustle and bustle of a Paris train station, glimpses characters we will learn more about later, and finally comes to rest on Hugo, the boy who peers out from behind the facade of a clock, Scorsese makes it clear that this is a film in love with the mechanics of filmmaking. It’s also an unintended hint of what’s to come: an attentively crafted reminiscence of wonderment remembered, rather than wonderment experienced.

Read the full review here