REVIEW: Hugo

 There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.


THE GOOD: Martin Scorsese. I have already named Hugo one of my top 10 favorite films of 2011, but now I can finally write my review for it. You'll have to forgive me because I am severely backed up on movie reviews. I have nine reviews in draft because I tried to cram as many films as I could see before the end of the year. So, if these reviews seem a bit shorter and to the point, now you know why. Anyway, Hugo is directed by the Academy Award-winning and acclaimed director Martin Scorsese. This is his first PG rated movie since 1993's The Age of Innocence. This is also Juliana's first full non-Muppet live action film ever. While the film does not have any inappropriate content for kids, I would not call this a kids movie. A family adventure and drama film, sure, but not just for kids. Without giving too much away and ruining the surprise, Hugo is Scorsese's love letter to cinema. He's always been one to promote and be influenced by classic movies. In 1995, he made a four-hour long documentary film called A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies. His homages to silent films is in a bunch of his popular movies like Casino and The Departed, especially with the use of the iris. Hugo is probably the movie that celebrates classic film the most from Scorsese and any cinephile will appreciate it.

HUGO: "He's writing something! Y-O-U S-M-E-L-L... hey!"

John Logan. Writer John Logan is one of the great underrated writers of our time. Take a look at some of the films he's helped scribe: Any Given Sunday, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Aviator, Sweeney Todd. This year alone he wrote Hugo, Coriolanus, and Rango. Of course Hugo is adapted from a novel written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, so Logan doesn't deserve full credit for this enchanting story. Logan has two big releases out next year: the new James Bond movie Skyfall and the Steven Spielberg directed Lincoln.

3D. Hugo is the best 3D film I've seen all year and joins a small list of films that I would recommend watching in such a format (Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon, The Polar Express, Coraline, Tangled, if you wanted to know). This is astounding considering that this is Martin Scorsese's first film shot in 3D. The opening scene is particularly important to note because it's a long shot that starts above Paris and ends up on Hugo's face. Even James Cameron, who some consider one of the pioneers behind 3D in Hollywood, called the film a "masterpiece" and told Martin Scorsese it was the best use of 3D he had seen, including his own films. I'm not sure if I would fully agree with that, but it is a testament to how good this film looks.

"French" and "whimsical" go together almost as well as lamb and tuna fish.

THE BAD: Asa Butterfield and Chloë Moretz. I know these kids can do better. I've seen it. Maybe it's because the adult actors outshine them. Asa Butterfield seemed to have a narrow emotional range in this movie. I didn't come away from this film loving his performance, and I should have, considering that he's the star. Chloë Moretz's character was supposed to be excited and full of life, but I think she overdoes it here. And her accent goes in and out a lot.


THE END: One day, in the future, I hope someone makes a movie about Martin Scorsese. Or perhaps Scorsese has just done that as Hugo can be seen as a slice of his life. Either way, Hugo is one of the best films of the year and must be seen, preferably in 3D. The story is magical and the directing, masterful. Go see it ASAP.


DISCUSS: What did you think of Hugo? How much of the story did you know before seeing it? What are your favorite Martin Scorsese films? Would you recommend Hugo for children?

Asa Butterfield and Chloë Moretz watch Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill.