A Children's Film Not Just for Children

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2011)

Like clockwork, we are all part of a much larger whole designed to connect with each other and work as one. It's a comforting thought but in a world without spare parts, what happens when you feel you've outlived your value? When you have no purpose? Thus one of the main themes of "Hugo" Martin Scorsese's first foray into PG territory. Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a lonely orphan living in the walls of the Paris train station circa 1930's. While tending to the various clocks around the station, Hugo also has a habit of stealing cogs and widgets from an ornery toy shop clerk Georges (Ben Kingsley). He does this to fix a mechanical atomization his father left him. What it does? Hugo has no idea. When his fathers notes on the machine are taken by Georges in comes his equally precocious goddaughter Isabelle, who helps Hugo discover the purpose of his machine.
For those of us who appreciate the art of film, "Hugo" is sure to impress and enchant. The first thing that catches the eye is the color palate which contrasts warm reds and blue hues. Even in the costuming their seems to be very little gray or other bland tones. This creates a Paris with an otherworldly quality enhanced further with competently handled 3D and dazzlingly elaborate camera-work.
The second half of the film concerns itself with a topic near and dear to Martin Scorsese's heart; film history and preservation. Homages to various films are slyly inserted and immortalized names from cinema's early era like Lumiere and Melies become an integral part of the story much to any film fanatic's enjoyment. The plot unravels at a deliberate pace and the story itself may prove daunting for some children. But those on Scorsese's wavelength will receive an exciting and elaborate history lesson.
Hugo, Isabelle and Georges are linked by a yearning to be accepted and appreciated. At times they feel like Hugo's mechanical man, useless, antiquated, broken. In the end they all find what their looking for by motivating each other, in essence existing for one another which when you think about it, is a pretty good purpose.
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