(PG) ****

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen.

IT'S easy to see why movie critics and film awards givers have fallen head over heels for this sweet family tale.

Nominated for 11 Oscars, Hugo is a love letter to the history and power of cinema, particularly the works of influential French filmmaker George Méliès, who arguably did more for the early development of movies than anyone else.

It's also an enchantingly direct yet subtle all-ages adventure, with a sense of wonder that has the power to transport you back to your youth. This usually appeals to critics, who like to be reminded of a simpler time before they became hardened cynics.

But it's equally easy to see why audiences haven't embraced it as much as the critics and awards people (it's a comparative flop, taking just $114 million worldwide against a $170 million budget).

While it's pitched as a children-friendly film, Hugo is out-of-step with the whiz-bang pyrotechnics and high-speed pacing kids expect in movies today, instead offering a thoughtful, intelligent piece of art where kids might - gods forbid - learn something.

And being aimed at an all-inclusive demographic while starring two mid-teen talents does deter a lot of grown-ups.

But Hugo is far too charming, welcoming and beautiful to look at to be dismissed as one of those films that critics adore but audiences ignore.

Based on Brian Selznick's award-winning children's book The Invention Of Hugo Cabret, it tells the story of Hugo, an orphan who lives in the walls of a Parisian train station, maintaining the clocks, as he was taught to do by his now-absent uncle.

Living off the food and drink he can steal, Hugo also knicks small mechanical parts from a toymaker (Kingsley) based near the station with the aim of using them to finish a clockwork robot Hugo was working on with his dad (Jude Law) just before his dad died.

But when the toymaker catches Hugo and sets him to work to make up for his thefts, it triggers a chain of events that will unlock the mystery of Hugo's automaton and the toymaker's own past.

Scorsese's back catalogue speaks for itself, but it's intriguing and exciting to see him branching into new territory here and embracing the digital age. While he's always been a flexible filmmaker, who knew that the man behind such disturbing masterpieces as Goodfellas and Taxi Driver had the deft touch to create such a wonderous all-ages experience?

His trademark long tracking shots, now enhanced by the freedom allowed by CG, are a pleasure to watch, particularly in the introductory moments of the film, and the recreations of Méliès' films are obviously a labour of love for Scorsese.

Ben Kingsley, who too often turns up in bad films seemingly for the paycheck, is excellent, as is the rest of the cast. Moretz, probably the best young actress around, and Butterfield make for a charming pair of orphans and easily carry the emotional weight of the film. Only Baron Cohen is an occasional let-down, consistently going too close to over-the-top as the station inspector in pursuit of Hugo.

Visually stunning, the film does lag a little in the middle, but it's love of adventure, films and the recklessness of youth make it a joy to behold.