Hugo

Hugo Cabret

Hugo is a 2011 film directed by the Award-winning director Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan. It is an adaptation of the 2007 historical fiction book by Brian Selznick entitled The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The movie features the talents of Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cristopher Lee, Helen McCrory and Asa Butterfield for the titular role. 


This is director Martin Scorsese's first PG rated movie in 18 years. Turned out it is also his first time in utilizing the latest trend in film-making which is 3D. Scorsese entirely shot the movie with 3D cameras. That could be the reason behind the astounding effect that it had on the film.

Hugo (Butterfield), Isabelle (Moretz) and Inspector Gustav (Cohen) at the train station. 

The moment the movie played, the audiences were brought to the world of a boy who lives at the train station during the early 20^th century. He has lived there since the death of his father. His uncle took custody of him who taught him the job of maintaining the clocks. Since then, the train station became his home.  On his search for the materials needed to fix the automaton left unfixed by his father, he encountered George (Kingsley) who wanted to catch him for lost items in his shop. From there, his journey began with George’s goddaughter Isabelle. To add spice to his journey are the station inspector, Inspector Gustav (Cohen), Monsieur Labisse (Lee), and Mama Jeanne (McCrory).

I am very glad that my wait to see this movie has finally ended. It took me several months to see this movie as it was not release in the country until February. The movie is very much worth the wait. Scorsese is definitely one of the great names in the movie industry nowadays, no doubt about it. Having no idea about the book where it was based prior to seeing this movie, I was just packed with the information that I got from its trailer which, by the way, is really good that it clouds my eyes everytime I see it.

George (Kingsley) and Hugo (Butterfield) at the toy shop.

A children’s movie is not the right term to classify this piece of art although many are saying, that’s what the trailer implies. I must agree though. The main characters are kids but that doesn’t stop them from getting praises for their acting capabilities. Asa Butterfield just got himself a new fan. Yes, me. This kid has a lot of potentials. He can convey a story without uttering a single word. And when he speaks, it just gets more engaging. Chloe famously known for her action-flick Kick-Ass showed some young-girl-looking-for-adventure in this movie. Overall, the cast delivered some great stuff in the movie; knowing that most of them are veterans in the industry.

What I loved about this movie is how it magically gave the audience that magical feeling of seeing a movie for the first time which is exactly how the two characters felt when they first saw a movie. This movie that focuses on the pseudo-historical story of George Melies, one of the most prominent names in the history of film-making, brought tears to my eyes. Not because the movie is depressing in any way but because the story has such depth and relevance that it got me engaged with the characters and their stories. And yes, I rarely shed tears on movies but when I do, it’s either because the movie is really sad, I am happy for the characters, or it’s really beautiful. But in this case of Hugo, it’s the combination of the three.

Overall, this movie is a really good one that must not be missed by every movie enthusiasts out there. The acting is excellent. The story is perfect. The music is great. The visuals are stunning. The direction is superb.

10/10