Long and boring

Rating: 3/10 (11 December 2017)

While Martin Scorses's Hugo was a huge contender at the 2012 Oscars and took home five statuettes, the average audience member will come away from it thinking it was incredibly long and boring. What they don't know is the movie wasn't really made for the average person to appreciate—it was made for those who care about film history and preservation. Although the main hype was to educate people on the importance of film preservation, that message will go over most people's heads.
A little boy, Asa Butterfield, lives in a train station, and as he grieves for his father, he feels compelled to solve a mystery involving his late father and others he hasn't yet met. While this is the main plot of the story, it's not executed very well. I saw this movie in the theaters, surrounded by lots of interested people, and hardly anyone could remember the key plot points once the film was over. The movie seems to bank on distracting the audience with very small parts by Sascha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Christopher Lee, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, and Ben Kingsley. None of these people really advance the already thin story, but if they had, the story would have been infinitely more interesting.
By the time the old footage of silent movies is shown, audiences have most likely checked out and aren't paying attention. If you're in Hollywood or film school, you'll think this is an essential movie that pays tribute to a wonderful era. If you're an average Joe, you'll think you were ripped off by your ticket price.