The Magic of Cinema!

Rating: Null/10 (13 December 2011)

When I first saw the trailer for Hugo I was a bit skeptical. Scorsese (the incredible director behind some of my favorite films ever, including the masterful Taxi Driver) had never done film like this before, not to mention the trailer itself sort of seemed like a formulaic, run-of-the-mill family film. Boy, was I wrong.
Hugo is a real film lover's film. Many have mentioned this before, but its true. Scorsese's brilliant direction, along with the great script, produce real magic here. Film magic, not often seen even in the greatest of films. The film isn't executed in the usual family-film way. In fact, I can imagine a lot of kids and their parents sort of leaving this film with a 'meh' reaction. It's not a soaring, thrilling adventure that we usually get. It is an adventure, but quite an intimate and personal one. That is where the film succeeds.
I can't really say much more except that the performances are splendid, as are all of the visual and technical aspects of course. This stands out among Scorsese's filmography, and in many ways, that's a very special thing.