Scorsese's Most Magical Film to Date

Rating: Null/10 (5 December 2011)

Hugo (2011)
**** (out of 4)
Martin Scorsese doing a kids movie? Well, not really. HUGO is being advertised as a "kids" movie but even though it's rated PG I think it's unfair to say that this is a movie for kids. I mean, are they really doing to be interesting in uncovering the secrets of a silent film star? Are they really going to be caught up in this story, which is fairly dark at times? I certainly hope so because this is one of the most magical movies I've ever seen but it's doubtful because the appeal of this is sadly going to be very limited, which is a real shame. The story is a fairly simple one as the orphan Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives in a French train station where he's trying to unlock the mystery of a robot that he and his father (Jude Law) where working on before his death. The young boy gets help from a young Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and the two try to find out what her grandfather, Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley) has to do with the mystery.
HUGO isn't in the same league as TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL or GOODFELLAS but I think I'd call it the most magical film Scorsese has ever made and I'd probably say it would have to be one the closest to his heart. This is a remarkable love story to not only a child's fantasy but the dreams that came come out of the movies. There's several sequences where Scorsese pays tribute to a wide range of silent stars including D.W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, the Keystone Cops and of course Melies. Scorsese's love for the cinema is clearly on the screen here because each scene you can just see all the love bleeding over it and this is especially true in one magical moment that ranks right up there with anything the director has done. About the mid-point of the film is when Hugo takes Isabelle to see her first movie. They end up watching Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST, which features the famous scene of him walking up the side of a building. The reaction of the girl witnessing these is so priceless that you can't help but feel as if Scorsese captured everyone's first taste of what is cinema. There's a longer sequence later in the film where we get to see clips from countless silent films and the passion on display was so incredibly moving that you can't help but hope this film does for Melies and silent movies just what ED WOOD did for Wood and Bela Lugosi.
The mystery/adventure side of the film is also perfectly brought to life with an incredible journey. The screenplay perfectly captures this alternate world of living behind the walls of a train station and the design is just so eye-dropping that you can't help but feel as if you've never seen anything like it before. Even more memorable is an incredible tracking shot early in the picture where we follow Hugo as he goes through the station. Most people are going to think of the tracking shot in GOODFELLAS but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how on Earth they managed to get such a breathtaking shot here. The story itself really makes one believe in hope, happy endings and of just trying to do what you can to reach not only your dreams but those of the people around you. Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz give two of the greatest performances you're going to see from any young actors. Both of them fit their roles so perfectly that you can't help but feel as if you're watching real characters coming to life on the screen. Jude Law only appears in a few scenes but he too brings magic. Sacha Baron Cohen, playing what would have been done by the Keystone Cops, brings some terrific laughs including a hilarious scene involving a piece of his leg on the side of a train. We even get a nice bit by Christopher Lee, Ray Winstone and Helen McCrory. Kingsley turns in one of the strongest performances of his career playing Melies. He must go through so many emotions throughout the film but the actor perfectly nails all of them.
HUGO also uses the 3-D to perfection as Scorsese makes sure to drag you into this fabulous world he's created. Most 3-D films are just a gimmick but there are ways it can be perfectly used and this is a great example. Just check out a wonderful bit where the Cohen character is lecturing Hugo and we get a shot of him leaning towards the child. The effect it creates is wonderful as is another scene towards the end when Melies is addressing a crowd. Heck, there's even one of the silent films that gets a 3-D effect that is very memorable.
HUGO isn't going to appeal to everyone and to be honest I'm really shocked to see how well it's already done is just a couple weeks. The movie is certainly one of the most magical I've seen in terms of being a love letter to cinema and the dreams that they create. The movie is fast, funny, dramatic, sad and incredibly touching. I guess a lot of people were shocked to see Scorsese doing a movie like this but it's about the cinema and ones love for it so I really can't think of a better person for the material.