Hugo is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home.
If you are just walking into Hugo and watching it based solely off the trailers, you’d think it was going to be a kid’s movie. Just about everything about it screamed: FOR KIDS!!! Then you see it was directed by Martin Scorsese and you just know that something doesn’t add up. There is no way Scorsese would waste his time to direct something so pointless. Then the movie starts and about 5 minutes into it you knew you were right. This isn’t a kids movie, this is a film fans movie; a movie that takes you on a journey through cinema and relishes in the love for the past. One review said it perfect; it’s essentially a love letter.
The film begins as a child adventure with the protagonist on a journey to fix a machine that is dad never finished in hopes that it will fill the hole in his chest that his dad left upon him. This is surprisingly exciting to watch as he maneuvers around the train station hidden in walls and ceilings above. Once he meets a girl who has the key to everything he’s been looking for things really start to kick into gear. The mystery starts to feel more intense, the thrill of what is yet to be found keeps you on your toes leaning forward in anticipation. It’s very well-paced and doesn’t slow down until the reveal. Had the movie ended at the reveal, it would have been a tremendous disappointment because it initially comes as a let-down, but it doesn’t stop there. The background of the reveal is shown and this is when the real movie fans sit back and simply enjoy what’s on screen. All I can say with ruining it for the everyone is that it’s just pure nostalgia that should leave you with a big ass smirk when its finished. Martin Scorsese just simply outdoes himself here. It’s too bad the trailers didn’t sell it to an older crowd because that’s exactly the audience that should give this a watch.
There were a lot of recognizable faces in the cast, but the unknown lead Asa Butterfield does a great job here. Normally child actors just annoy the sit out of me, but under the direction of Scorsese, he controls his emotions and delivers a heartwarming performance that only wants you to cheer for him more. Chloe Mertz in a much more defined role then were accustomed to proves she has got to be one of the best child actors to ever walk into Hollywood. She can simply do it all. Her grandfather, Ben Kingsly, seems to get most of the credit in the awards circuit, but he was just alright to me. He didn’t do anything wrong, but I feel when it came down to it, Butterfield showed more raw emotion then Kingsley when called upon. Even somewhat annoying actors Jude Law and Sacha Baron Cohen managed to impress me as much as Kingsley. It’s no wonder this film wound up so well when you can get the most out of your cast. Not a single character seemed to have been wasted.
If you a fan of movies, you owe yourself to go and watch this. Its one fo the most charming and enjoyable films you can have at the theater. Martin Scorsese use of 3D might be the best I have seen since Avatar, maybe even better since it was used in every single scene, rather than in just sections. It may be the surprise hit of the year critically speaking, and most certainly deserves to be so. I thank you Scorsese for branching out of your comfort zone and giving us something so unexpected that we can all enjoy.
Overall Score: 9/10
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