Hugo

If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around... this is where they're made.

Hugo is truly original cinema. A film harking back to the glory days of cinema, truly capturing the magic of film making now usurped by CGI and illegal downloads. I watched a pirated version, naturally, but it was a good rip.

Scene

Put simply the film is magical. A simple story of an orphan living in amongst the walls and clocks of a train station, fascinated by mechanics and film, whose only memory of his father is an ‘automaton’ which they started to build together and he is trying to complete. Hugo is played brilliantly by Asa Butterfield who stars alongside Sacha Baron Cohen, Sir Ben Kingsley and the rising fame of actress Chloë Grace Moretz. Just don't look at the poor boys flaring nostrils, it'll drive you mad.

Take

I’m still not sure whether it’s a good kid’s film. I enjoyed it, film buffs would enjoy it and the Academy certainly enjoyed it (it won 5 Oscars), but can children really enjoy a film without monsters, aliens or a cat with a Spanish accent? My girlfriend, who loves kid’s films, got bored and I couldn’t help but wonder if kids would be genuinely excited by the storyline.

A screenshot from the first ever sci-fi 'A Trip to the Moon', which is featured in the film.

Maybe Scorcese’s kids made him do it so at least they could learn more about cinema without listening to their Dad bore them over the Sunday Roast. This is one thing the film does achieve; it gives you a very interesting insight into the history of cinema. Kingsley’s character, Georges Méliès, is a genuine director, and the film features actual footage from the early 20^th century. A novel idea but I’m not sure if kids would be interested when it’s cloudy with a chance of meatballs. Well, unless they’re Scorcese’s kids.

Director

What can I say? It’s Scorcese. The man is a movie marvel. He is to Spielberg what Pegg is to Cruise; a bigger geek and a more refined talent. But then to compare Scorcese to Spielberg would mean comparing Hugo to E.T and that’s a a battle Hugo can't win. The only kids film that beats E.T is The Goonies, and I won’t hear any argument against it.

But back to Hugo; it is directed superbly, rich in colour with sleek , inventive editing, it’s what anyone would expect from the man who knows movies. The plot unravels nicely as the film progresses, balancing neatly between adult and child expectations. The film maintains an innocence that is often lacking these days but has more than enough charm and intelligence to keep the grown-ups interested.

And... Cut.

I thought truly original children’s films like this died with the birth of CGI and the rise of Pixar but Scorcese has reinvigorated live-action for kids. And even the brats can’t sit still you can definitely enjoy this one on your own.

A point I think I must make is that Hugo was shot in 3D and I feel that I lost part of the magic of the film by watching it in 2D standard definition. I can certainly see that the depth that Scorcese applied to many of the scenes would have been improved by seeing it at the cinema. As Empire aptly described it (before giving it an inevitable 4 stars)- it’s the most beautiful fan-fiction yet written.

The film was designed for cinema, by a true connoisseur. But, obviously, seeing it at the cinema is somewhat difficult now so I would recommend purchasing the Blu-ray. Or watch it on your 3D TV if you got lucky in the London riots.

If you're that way inclined some geeky stuff about the film can be found here.