Film Rating: Hugo

Nov. 28, 2011 at 9:07pm with 14 notes View comments

Hugo——————————————————8/10

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Written by John Logan, Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley and Emily Mortimer

Fandango Synopsis- Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo’s job is to oil and maintain the station’s clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.

Positives- HUGO is a magical film. Martin Scorsese was able to visually create in the Parisian train station, an amazing world full of wonder. HUGO was a visual masterpiece. It was a 3D film that NEVER resorted to visually assaulting you, yet wasn’t the subtle, unnecessary sort that many of the Pixar films have used of late. The 3D was an integral part of the film and a huge enhancement.

The whole opening to the film, which starts with the breathtaking tracking shot through the train station and an accompanying Howard Shore score was perfect. (The Shore score was great) All the shots within the walls of the train station in which Hugo lives were gorgeous with nothing more dazzling and awesome than the shots up and down the clock towers as he moved about them. Those shots alone were worth the 3D admission price. It was a complete joy to see the experimentation and fun Scorsese was no doubt having trying to figure this all out.

The film couldn’t be a complete success if the child leads didn’t at least pull their weight and to my delight I thought they were both enjoyable. I liked Asa Butterfield. He had a gun-shy yet determined and resourceful quality about him and was able to deliver the emotion with his bright blue eyes when needed. Chloe Moretz was also strong playing a likable character who tried so hard to be wise beyond her years. I found her use of words far beyond the vocabulary of a child to be a source of humor throughout. There were long segments of the film that these two had to carry alone and they had no problem.

The film isn’t short and a lot of the time was spent introducing you to the characters in the station and the day to day activities taking place within the station as a whole. The time spent there really enriched the film and gave the audience a more fulfilling experience. The characters and the atmosphere within the station was fantastic. Sacha Baron Cohen as the Station Inspector was one of the best small characters. He was always ridiculous and very funny.

Late in the film the story fully shifts to the story of Ben Kingsley’s character, Georges Melies. Kingsley is magnificent in Hugo. He’s a very bitter, broken and embarrassed older man, but through events that take place and through flashbacks you also get to see the vibrant, curious and genius man he was and can be. It’s a touching performance by Kingsley that is worthy of Oscar consideration.

The last third after shifting to Kingsley’s story is really what makes HUGO the special film it is. Through his story you get a window into the beginning of filmmaking and the creative genius that was Georges Melies. Every scene depicting the younger Melies and his films was transporting and amazing. I was completely taken and inspired by this part of the film. It was sweet and full of earned emotion. This is a very different and altogether better film, but it had some of the same sweet emotion that I get every time I watch FINDING NEVERLAND.

HUGO feels like such a heartfelt effort from all involved. You can sense the love put into it by Scorsese as late in the film it becomes everything he cares about, diving into film preservation and early filmmaking. Based on the amazing cast and the major actors taking bit parts, you can tell that people just wanted to be a part of HUGO, which only served to enrich the film.

Negatives- There were a few instances that demonstrated the screenplay was a little shabby or a few lines that didn’t really work. The dream sequences seemed to serve no purpose other than to allow Scorsese to do something visual that he thought would be fun. The same can be said of the long chase scene between Butterfield and Cohen as the whole scene served no purpose other than to give us the BREATHTAKING shots down the clock tower. (So, the chase was probably worth it)

Why are the trains coming into the station so damn fast?!

Verdict- HUGO is yet another very special Martin Scorsese film. He creates a rich, fully realized environment in the train station and populates it with great characters played by fine actors. It’s a visual masterpiece and as satisfying as you could imagine 3D could possibly be. There are many awe inspiring shots. The acting is strong all around, with the children played by Butterfield and Moretz able to carry the film, Cohen able to make a comedic impact and Ben Kingsley able to blow you away late in the film and give the story its heart. HUGO is a such a fulfilling, heartfelt, wondrous, transporting, and emotionally satisfying film that I think absolutely EVERYONE need see it.

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