Only the second film that I have ever seen that must be viewed in 3-D

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2013)

I could not imagine watching Hugo in 2-D. I did not care much for it in 3D frankly but it was a superb use of the medium. For me 3-D has been disappointing more often than not, that includes Avatar and a host of Comic book films that I have seen plus a handful of animated films, though I also feel "How to Train Your Dragon" was certainly worth the extra few bucks for 3-D. So that is it out of a couple dozen films that I have paid to see in 3-D this is only the third one that was really worth the extra price. And truthfully, seeing "How to Train Your Dragon" in 2-d would be almost as good as in 3-d.
I am also not Baz Lurhmann's biggest fan having felt Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet were quite mediocre. I really enjoyed Australia though (I know I am in the minority on that one.)
I guess I am glad this film has opened to some mediocre reviews because I didn't have the greatest of expectations, but it was a wonderful film. Starting with the spectacular visuals. I tell you I think I would have enjoyed the film with no sound just to watch it as a moving canvas. But the sound was almost as phenomenal. I am an old guy. The idea of Jay-Z doing the Soundtrack for a classic novel was underwhelming at best to me, but I was happily surprised by the beautiful soundtrack throughout. I enjoyed every note. It also helped tie in the themes of the novel with the excesses of our present society.
I am a huge Leo DeCaprio fan and once again he gave a great performance. This was Joel Edgerton's best role besides maybe "Animal Kingdom" which is a real favorite film of mine. He does a sort of Gable impression as Tom Buchanan but it really works. Carey Mulligan was surprisingly strong as Daisy. My one disappointment may have been Tobey McGuire. I normally really like him as an actor but here he doesn't really deliver as Nick. In my mind, there is no great logical progression to the character that he has become in the first scene as he flashes back and tells the Gatsby story.
An extra bonus is that my daughter is planning to read the novel now. She reads a lot, but has avoided most classics. I loved the novel when I was a teenager, I am glad the film pointed her to the book. My daughter is 14 now, so I am not seeing as many animated films as I did a few years back. Maybe 3-D has been used well in some more recent animated films, but I don't miss any Marvel or DC films
Trust me, if you plan to see this film, and you really should, do yourself a favor and see it in 3-D. It is breathtakingly beautiful.