A Pedagogue's Guide to Film Preservation -- and Boredom.

Rating: 3/10 (6 December 2011)

When I walked in the theater to see this, my first 3D film in a theater for several decades, there were eight people populating the entire theater to watch this grand homage to Mr Melies. Two people left during the film, so one-quarter of the audience walked out.
I love early cinema so Scorsese was preaching to the choir with me, but as entertainment, this film falls flat. The visual wonders of the film gave way to incredible boredom. The story is convoluted and after awhile one stops caring because the film has no heart; the mechanical animations are the films heart, not the characters, who are wooden props. The sole redeeming feature of this film is Ben Kingsley as George Melies, who plays the mysterious, forlorn character.
After seeing Kundun in 1997, the Gangs of New York in 2003 and now this, I think that Scorsese has lost his way. It looks like he's taken an unofficial retirement from his Italian/ gangster films that he was so good at, only to focus on trying to impress audiences with how eclectic and balanced of a filmmaker he is.
He is out of his zone again and his annoying practice of preaching about film preservation comes into full bloom here, especially the scene when the book is opened at the library. It truly was vomit-inducing, as are what seem to be the paid shills who are lining up to give over-the-top praise to this $170 million clunker.