The automaton steals the show

Rating: 9/10 (30 November 2011)

HUGO dazzled, delighted and inspired me as Scorsese intended. Under the guise of a family film HUGO is really a plea for film preservation. It's as much about the life of pioneer filmmaker Geo. Melies as it is the child Hugo. And it was nice to see both Christopher Lee, whom I had no idea was in the picture prior to seeing it, and the young actress Chloe Grace Moretz a few short years after her breakout role in the fun though ultra violent KICK-ASS.
The real stars of the movie were Ben Kingsley and Helen McCrory who play the Melies (husband and wife) during their hey day on stage performing magic tricks and making/starring in (nearly 500) films, then in later years living in obscurity never dwelling on their all but forgotten past. The automaton steals the show in parts and seemed almost lifelike, but Scorsese never crosses the boundary into fantasy. My friend whom I saw HUGO with wanted the automaton to wink at us at the end. I'm glad it didn't! Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. While somewhat dramatized, many of the historical details in the film are based on fact. Included are scenes from early cinema, actual footage (bits of A TRIP TO THE MOON are tastefully enhanced with 3-D) from THE GENERAL, SAFETY LAST and other nascent flickers shown being watched by astonished audiences of the time. Overall beautifully done!