When I first heard that Martin Scorsese was making a family movie I was intrigued. It seemed like maybe crazy Uncle Marty was ready to calm down and make something for the kids. Hugo is just that. It's a movie that kids will find silly and exciting with lots of colorful settings and quirky characters. And it's something that moms will leave the theatre saying, “Aw, that was cute.” But I am neither a child nor a mother, so Hugo did little for me.
Hugo is the story of a boy who lives in a Parisian train station in the 1930s where he befriends the old and mostly forgotten George Méliès (Ben Kingsley). Depressed by the events of WWI Méliès wishes to forget his past, but Hugo's need to find meaning in a clockwork robot his dead father left him forces him to delve into Méliès' cinematographic history. Hugo seems to be Scorsece's way of honoring Méliès. In real life George Méliès made fun movies meant for entertainment and wonder. They were family friendly and full of magic, and that pretty much sums up Hugo. The only difference is that Méliès' film were rarely over fifteen minutes long where as Hugo goes on for over two hours.
All in all Hugo just felt a little lazy. Much of the plot is strung together by random encounters and there is a lot of foreshadowing that never comes to light. And for a movie so steeped in French stereotypes why was there only one French character? Nearly every side character spends their time in cafes eating baguettes and croissants, wearing berets, and listening to accordion music—and speaking with English accents. The worst of these is American actress Chloe Moretz's character: a presumably French girl with an awful English accent whose only purpose in the film is to introduce Hugo to inconsequential side characters. The only character important to the plot other than Hugo is George Méliès, and Hugo meets him in the opening scene. So I don't really know why she was in the movie other than to force an awkward romance.
Like I said Hugo has a lot of bright colors and wonderment. If you're easily drawn in by spectacle then you'll probably be able to overlook the weird plot holes and enjoy yourself.
Five out of Ten.
I wonder how much kids actually enjoyed this film tho- I didn't think the colors were bright at all, in fact everything seemed really dull- also, some parts were so quiet and slow I can't imagine a child being held captived by it. I wanted to see it because I was given the impression (by the trailer) that the film was about a boy living a somewhat enchanted or fantastical life- instead, I was handed a love letter about the early days of film- Now, because I was expecting a completely different film, my first reaction after the viewing was "this film sucked." However, once my bitterness faded I realized it wasn't as terrible as I initially felt it was- True the acting was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or the colors, or the pace... damn it, maybe it did suck. Ok, this film should have left out Hugo all together- it should have been a 45 minute documentary about Melies. Done.
ReplyDeleteone last thing, as much as it failed as a movie, i do appreciate the theme of changes in technology and film and the way 3d was used
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