This review is a bit late, but it has one message: If you haven’t yet seen “Coraline,” go now.

I do not see many movies. I am mocked for this. But I went to see “Coraline” in the theater, chiefly on the strength of Neil Gaiman. I have read two of Gaiman’s books-”Neverwhere” and “Starlight”-and liked them enough that I was intrigued by “Coraline.” Gaiman has a special talent for making a story seem both distinctly his and yet entirely unique. His books never feel like re-treads of each other. And “Coraline” is the same way: recognizably Gaiman while decidedly not being “Neverwhere” or “Starlight.”

The story revolves a young girl named Coraline, an energetic, enthusiastic kid with parents who are preoccupied with the sort of adult concerns that adults are often preoccupied with. Coraline lives in an apartment in an old house whose other apartments are inhabited by an Russian ex-circus performer and two aging vaudeville performers. And, at night, Coraline begins journeying to a world that mirrors the one she knows, only with more magic, both of the good and bad variety.

“Coraline” is a visually stunning movie. It’s 3-D, but not in a way that feels showy. It’s a gentle, seductive sort of 3-D, an invitation to fall deeper into the story world, to envelop oneself in its layers. Aside from the discomfort of the 3-D glasses (and maybe I’m just fussy), you completely forget you’re watching a 3-D movie. Watching “Coraline” feels almost like a tactile experience, very lush and evocative and real.

And, as you might expect from Gaiman, “Coraline” tells an arresting story with vivid characters, from Coraline herself to the crazy Russian circus performer, and the animation seems to do Gaiman’s imagination justice. The Russian acrobat is a hilarious masterpiece, constantly balancing on his toes, contorting into weird angles, in a lithe, gravity-less performance that is completely engaging. Even characters that don’t say many words-or any at all-leap at you from the screen, and not just because they’re in 3-D, garnering sympathy and affection.

I don’t see many movies. But I’ve seen “Coraline,” and you should, too. It was a rich and rewarding experience. If all movies were like this, I’d see more.