Hugo Review

Hugo (2011)

Dir: Martin Scorsese

More than a great filmmaker, Martin Scorsese is a cinema lover and connoisseur, the man knows everything there is to know about movies; you can see just how big his passion is just by hearing him talk about them, so it’s only natural that we see him making a movie about one of the most innovative creators of the early days of cinema, after all, nobody is more qualified than him to do so and with Hugo he has perfectly combined his mastery of the art-form with his love and knowledge of film history. 

We associate Scorsese with films about religion and violence starring gangsters and psychopaths usually portrayed by Robert Deniro and Leonardo DiCaprio. But the truth is that he is an incredibly versatile filmmaker who has seamlessly transitioned over a variety of genres almost flawlessly. Hugo could be considered a kid’s movie; almost dismissible by those expecting something like Goodfellas or The Departed, but this can be easily and truly enjoyed by the whole family.

Hugo learned everything he needs to know about clocks and machinery from his father, who died in a museum fire, and his drunken uncle who took him to the railway station after his father’s death to be his apprentice and has been missing for months.  Rather than being taken to an orphanage he decides to avoid the guards and live deep within the station’s maze-like interior fixing the clocks and stealing food and pieces of machinery to repair a damaged automaton that he and his father were working on before his death.

His life is complicated by the cold-hearted but dumb station inspector who chases young thieves and sends them to the orphanage. He also meets a strange old man who works at a toy shop in the station and becomes friends with his goddaughter Isabelle. He and Isabelle discover that the old man is somehow connected to the automaton and through their investigation are able to find out that this man is actually George Méliès, one of the most groundbreaking filmmakers of the early days of cinema who has given up on making movies and is hiding his past from everyone.

This is a movie with bright, lively colors, childish innocence and a beautiful sense of wonder and yet it has those classic touches that make it a Scorsese movie like repressed characters who long for redemption. Its use of old movie clips and re-creations of important moments from cinema history are marvelous and almost educational, yet never cease to be entertaining.

The story is essentially divided in two parts: Hugo’s and Isabelle’s escapades and George’s story. They complement each other well and the tone is kept consistent between both so transition between one and the other is hardly felt.  It’s a fantastic-looking film no matter which character the story is focusing on.

Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz do a great job as the leads; very rarely do you see child actors who are so spot-on in their performances. Ben Kingsley has been seen lately in a ton of terrible films, but here he is back to form playing Mélièr in different periods of his life and doing a fantastic job at it. Sacha Baron-Cohen plays the Inspector, who provides much of the physical comedy by being rather dumb, but he never becomes a caricature and through his relation with the other characters we get to see his human and kind side. The rest of the cast is equally memorable and there are a lot of recognizable faces there, including a cameo by Scorsese himself.

 This movie about love for movies is made with the same care and love it preaches. It has an undeniable charm that attracts both young and old and stands shoulder to shoulder with the director’s best work.