(December 20, 2011) -- Movies like Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese, are few and generally far between. I’m talking about movies that linger on in your head hours after you leave the theatre. I’m talking about movies that appeal to your inner child and manage to inspire you. I’m talking about movies that are honestly and wholeheartedly good movies that appeal to all audiences.

Hugo is originally derived from the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. The film follows the day-to-day comings and goings of a little orphan boy named Hugo Cabret, played by Asa Butterfield, who lives in Paris’ Gare Du Nord train station. Through his interaction with various other characters who work in the train station, he ends up twisting their fates and making their lives better in the purest ways.

That being said, Hugo is a fairly strange movie, in that it takes a while for a viewer to get the premise of the film. For the first half of the movie, you really don’t know what’s going on. You just know that something important is building up slowly. The main plot and the several minor plots are introduced simultaneously and kept separate in the beginning, but then later delicately woven together perfectly. A broken, metal automaton that Hugo had been trying to fix is the link that connects everyone and everything.

The acting is fairly good, although the cast give far from knock-out performances. Ben Kingsley, who plays George Méliès, gives a truly heartwarming performance towards the end. I would have liked Christopher Lee to have had more screen time to flesh out his character, Monsieur Labisse, but I can’t complain too much when Saruman is involved in any film production.

The writing is well thought out and appropriate, and the story flows really well. The cinematography is gorgeous, really bringing to life the world of the movie. But, these elements are not what makes Hugo great. Everything aside, it is the story told in Hugo, the message it has for its audience in the end, that is memorable and Oscar deserving.

Hugo is one of those films you just need to experience. It is by far the best film I have seen in a while, and a refreshing change from overly melodramatic, mature films that have been dominating the box office for some time. It’s appropriate for any age group without being too sappy, and it has a great message in the end. I couldn't help but feel energised and inspired (with a broad smile on my face) as I left the theatre.