DVD: Hugo 6/10
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley
Plot: an orphan hiding in the walls of a 1930s Paris train station uncovers a mystery concerning his late father.
Martin Scorsese couldn’t have had a different career change after helming Shutter Island, The Aviator, The Departed and Taxi Driver. Hugo, as you can tell, is his first children’s film – the famous director has decided to move away from mental asylums, gangs and airplanes that usually inhibit his films and instead go child-friendly in his new venture, a move which transitions surprisingly well, with an effective edge to it. Hugo is a new turn for the children’s market, its one of the most dazzling pictures in recent years for sure, with numerous shots zooming through the busy streets of Paris, with Scorsese making the most of his 3D budget. The intricate detail in the clockwork of Hugo’s ‘automaton’ (a robot left behind by his father) is marvellous – which, on demand, after the correct key is found, begins to draw a hidden message for which Hugo decides to decode as the film unravels.
Modern audiences however may not warm to the message of Hugo which is the history of film, as the second half of the film focuses on the first moving picture ever made, its effect on the audience and how film has transformed over time. It comes across as more of a documentary on numerous occasions and may be a little too heavy for little ones, with long passages of dialogue and a hefty 126-minute running time, perhaps too much for an Alvin and the Chipmunks generation. It’s true though, the middle section of the film does drag a little and the lack of movement in parts can be slightly dull, but set pieces including a gliding train and Hugo hanging off of a giant clock (as seen in the poster) are all worth the wait.
The film’s star, Asa Butterfield (known for starring in The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas and Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang), plays Hugo, and does fairly well in carrying the film. Hugo as a character however isn’t particurly interesting compared to his on-screen friend, Isabella, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. Moretz does well in changing from an American to a British accent and plays her part very well. The film also features an array of A-list actors and actresses including Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Christopher Lee and Richard Griffiths, with most only taking to the screen for a moment or two. Finally, Sacho Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat and Bruno) plays his part of the Station Inspector to perfection, he’s never too over the top unlike some of his previous films and plays the role to a comedic nature.
The Blu-Ray, if you so happen to have it, gives a brilliant insight into how the train sequence was done and how the numerous zoom-through and close-up shots were done of Paris and the intricate clockwork in the ‘automaton’.
In conclusion: Hugo is purely a visual masterpiece. It deserved its five Oscars in visual effects and art direction amongst others, and would surprisingly be enjoyed by adults more than children, which is perhaps its biggest downfall. The middle section of the film is slow and it doesn’t seem to reach a particular climax, the ending however is sweet and forms some sort of closure to the story of Ben Kingsley’s character, Georges Melies.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley
Plot: an orphan hiding in the walls of a 1930s Paris train station uncovers a mystery concerning his late father.
Martin Scorsese couldn’t have had a different career change after helming Shutter Island, The Aviator, The Departed and Taxi Driver. Hugo, as you can tell, is his first children’s film – the famous director has decided to move away from mental asylums, gangs and airplanes that usually inhibit his films and instead go child-friendly in his new venture, a move which transitions surprisingly well, with an effective edge to it. Hugo is a new turn for the children’s market, its one of the most dazzling pictures in recent years for sure, with numerous shots zooming through the busy streets of Paris, with Scorsese making the most of his 3D budget. The intricate detail in the clockwork of Hugo’s ‘automaton’ (a robot left behind by his father) is marvellous – which, on demand, after the correct key is found, begins to draw a hidden message for which Hugo decides to decode as the film unravels.
Modern audiences however may not warm to the message of Hugo which is the history of film, as the second half of the film focuses on the first moving picture ever made, its effect on the audience and how film has transformed over time. It comes across as more of a documentary on numerous occasions and may be a little too heavy for little ones, with long passages of dialogue and a hefty 126-minute running time, perhaps too much for an Alvin and the Chipmunks generation. It’s true though, the middle section of the film does drag a little and the lack of movement in parts can be slightly dull, but set pieces including a gliding train and Hugo hanging off of a giant clock (as seen in the poster) are all worth the wait.
The film’s star, Asa Butterfield (known for starring in The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas and Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang), plays Hugo, and does fairly well in carrying the film. Hugo as a character however isn’t particurly interesting compared to his on-screen friend, Isabella, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. Moretz does well in changing from an American to a British accent and plays her part very well. The film also features an array of A-list actors and actresses including Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Christopher Lee and Richard Griffiths, with most only taking to the screen for a moment or two. Finally, Sacho Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat and Bruno) plays his part of the Station Inspector to perfection, he’s never too over the top unlike some of his previous films and plays the role to a comedic nature.
The Blu-Ray, if you so happen to have it, gives a brilliant insight into how the train sequence was done and how the numerous zoom-through and close-up shots were done of Paris and the intricate clockwork in the ‘automaton’.
In conclusion: Hugo is purely a visual masterpiece. It deserved its five Oscars in visual effects and art direction amongst others, and would surprisingly be enjoyed by adults more than children, which is perhaps its biggest downfall. The middle section of the film is slow and it doesn’t seem to reach a particular climax, the ending however is sweet and forms some sort of closure to the story of Ben Kingsley’s character, Georges Melies.
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