Thank God for special effects.

Rating: 5/10 (6 January 2012)

The cinematography and music were great. The plot? Confusing. Boring. Inconsistent. I almost fell asleep once. The movie dragged on and in different directions. It was about the boy trying to "solve a mystery his father left for him," then it went on to be about the toy store guy and his past as a film giant. It was like a big film history lesson. I kept expecting Hugo and his friend to go on some cool adventure uncovering a secret or mystery about his father or that automaton. Man, I really wish they went on a cool adventure. And honestly, they could have left out the bit about his father. In my opinion, his role or even existence was unnecessary. Not to mention, I feel like Jude Law was too young to play his dad; it should have been an old, white-haired man with a curled up moustache and some spectacles, but that's all besides the point.
So yes, the plot honestly did not go anywhere. Nothing was interesting about it, but at least the actors held up on on their end. I have no complaints about the casting - except the part about Jude Law above. Well, at least the look of the movie & scores caught and kept my attention throughout - except through the bit that had me near snoring.