Hugo (Paramount)
Rated PG for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking.
Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths, Jude Law.
Written by John Logan, based on the book Brian Selznick.
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
GRADE: A
REVIEW:
Say what you will about Martin Scorcese, but the man knows his cinema history. He also knows how to pay tribute to his art as evidenced in Hugo, a film adaptation of Brian Selznick's history-based children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Hugo is an orphan who lives in the main Paris train station where he maintains the clocks. Since the death of his father (Jude Law), Hugo was abandoned by his drunkard uncle (Ray Winstone) and lives by his wits behind the walls of the station and in the main clock tower. As he survives by pilfering a few scraps of food, Hugo works to rebuild an autotron (or wind-up person) left to him by his dad. One day, Hugo meets a station toy shop keeper (Ben Kinglsey) referred to by his ward Isabel (Chloë Grace Moretz) as "Papa George."
As he works to rebuild the autotron, Hugo must also evade the station inspector (brilliantly played by Sacha Baron Cohen) who is known for catching children and throwing them in to orphanages. In the meantime, Hugo introduces Isabel to the wonder of cinema, and the two kids become close friends. With the help of Isabel, Hugo is able to get the wind-up robot to work, which then draws an all-too-familiar picture, connecting Papa George to a mysterious secret. There is also a connection to the very real historic figure of Georges Méliès, a man who made hundreds of fantasy and science fiction movies at the turn of the Century.
Hugo is quite the departure for Scorcese, being his first family film and his first 3D movie. It is also perhaps one if his greatest masterpieces, and serves as a fantastic tribute to films and cinema history, something Marty knows a few things about. There are many parallels in Hugo to Scorcese's own life. Hugo lives separate from other kids; Scorcese lived much of his youth with asthma, and couldn't play with other kids. Hugo finds his passion in films; Marty, well...duh. The 3D aspect of the movie is also worth mentioning, as it does not become a cumbersome gimmick, but actually adds texture to the 1930s period setting, and the intricate gear-driven world of clocks and other wind-up devices.
The trouble with Hugo is whether or not it will find a receptive audience. Film history buffs (like myself and other film critics) will see Hugo's beautiful message of dreaming and innovation as a comic book fan-boy watches his favorite superhero movie. The rest will have to see past Hugo's slow pace and cinematic history to enjoy its deep message.
No matter what all of us snobby film aficionados think, Hugo is one of the best films of the year, deserving of many year-end awards including Scorcese, Kinglsey, Cohen and Helen McCrory (who plays Papa George's wife). I hope Hugo is not lost in the holiday film tableau and is appreciated by more than a few guys who know who Georges Méliès was.
