Not a remake of "Oliver Twist" but an odd new reworking of the classic tale with a supernatural twist.

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2018)

"August Rush" is a modern fairy tale that is based on "Oliver Twist". However, while it shares many story elements, the film diverges from the novel in many ways...so much so that it truly is a unique viewing experience.
When the film begins, two young musicians meet, have a one-night stand and are soon separated by her father. This father turns out to be a very manipulative person, because when he discovers his daughter is pregnant, he arranges for her to believe the child died at birth....though he instead put the child up for adoption and forged her name to the surrender papers.
Years pass and now the boy, Evan, is living in a miserable orphan asylum. He is ridiculed by the other kids because Evan has a strange gift....a musical talent that makes him more than just a prodigy...more like a savant with super-human musical skills.
Eventually, Evan escapes from this facility and ends up in New York City. At the same time, inexplicable forces draw his mother (who JUST learned her baby was not dead) and his father to the city as well. While the viewer knows what will eventually happen, there is still much film to go...during which you see Evan's amazing talents burst forth AND an evil manipulator, 'the Wizard' (Robin Williams, sees the boy's potential and takes him in and puts him to work. However, the Wizard is no humanitarian....he's pretty much like Fagan from "Oliver Twist"...a man who keeps a hoard of runaways and uses them as buskers to make himself rich. How will Evan escape the clutches of this evil man? And, how will he locate his parents?

This film is very magical in style....with wonderful music and so much to like. Yes, it IS predictable...but it's also lovely in how it gets to where you think it should go. Well worth seeing and a nice family film.