By Jason Haskins
In Martin Scorsese’s follow-up to 2010’s Shutter Island and hot off the cuff of his documentary about George Harrison earlier this year, he embarks on a new path: the path of a kid-friendly movie that is bursting with 3D technology. There’s no question about 3D being a gimmick to plump up the green returns, but it has been done well in the past—notably in James Cameron’s Avatar and to a greater extent Jackass 3D. Scorsese has taken the technology to the next step—one that Cameron has said is the best use of it he’s ever seen. This is Hugo (2011).
Based on the book by Brian Selznick and adapted by John Logan (who previously penned Scorsese’s The Aviator in 2004), Hugo tells the story of a young Parisian orphan who runs the clocks in a train station. He scrounges for food and spare parts from a toy-maker, hoping to rebuild an automaton that was important to his deceased father. What occurs next is an adventure full of mystery as he seeks to make this robot work again and possibly find a way for him to fit into this world instead of being a spare part.
The story is much larger than this, but for the sake of brevity and sheer imagination I’ll say that this truly is Martin Scorsese’s love letter to cinema, and possibly the crowning achievement of his career. Here he took unique idea and made it better—adapting a book that was quite visually oriented and one-upped it. The 3D isn’t tacked on—it helps orchestrate the lushness of the story and the atmosphere that it creates on the snowy streets of Paris and in the beautifully dark walls of the clock tower are not just exceptional, but groundbreaking. The depth Scorsese creates is awesome as images literally burst out the seams and aid in the storytelling.
That said, this story is not one that’s easy for kids. There are quips of humor, particularly from Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays a bumbling station inspector who enjoys taking strays to the orphanage, but the majority of the film is quite sad and dark for a children’s movie. While I could see children liking this movie, the allure of it is definitely aimed at older audiences familiar with the history of film and/or literary references as Hugo is ripe with them.
All of the performances were pretty amazing, particularly from Asa Butterfield,who plays the title character in a very intricate, innocent way that’s almost overbearing. The weight that this young actor took on his shoulders was phenomenal and I think it’s safe to say he has a bright future ahead of him. Chloe Moretz stars opposite and does a decent job keeping up with her great track record, which includes Kick-Ass and Let Me In. However, Ben Kingsley really stole the show and should receive Oscar consideration, not only moving me to tears, but bringing about the most interesting segments of the film as the toy-maker. This is easily one of the most stellar performances of his entire 40+ year career.
Logan’s script does a great job intertwining the elegance and whimsical child-like qualities of the book with a gratifying decidedly adult take without leaving any of the entertainment out. Many have discussed the pace of the movie being poorly executed, but the story is a long one and I think Logan handled it perfectly. There is an original voice and the concept is amazingly executed to pull from the book and make it tailor-made to Scorsese’s style. Obviously Logan has as much at stake as Scorsese in terms of the fascination with the period and the subject matter and it doesn’t disappoint in the final product.
There’s no question you should see Hugo, and more than that you need to pay the premium to see it in 3D. This might very well be the future of cinema—when one of the greatest filmmakers that ever lived embraces this technology and truly shows off his talents. This movie is exciting and fresh—easily vying for the top spot as my favorite film of the year. It has excitement, action, a heartfelt story, and astounding visuals that are surely to muster some sort of feeling out of you whether you are a hopeless romantic when it comes to moviemaking or someone after a good, original time at the theater when all that’s being offered is fluff.
Rating System (out of 5)
Acting - 4
Direction - 5
Script - 5
Cinematography - 5
Editing - 4
Overall - 5
5 out of 5 stars
This is among my surprises of the year and most of all, from Martin Scorsese of all people. He's the last person I would think would make a film that was accessible to children (although I don't think kids at age 3-7 will get into it) as well as adults and film buffs. I didn't see it on 3D but I was still amazed by the world Scorsese created. It seems like him, Woody Allen, and Roman Polanski are among some of the old-school filmmakers who are proving to the world that they're not done and still can create amazing films.
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