A Masterpiece but Not for Everyone - 5 Oscars!

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2013)

Some people called it boring. Untrue. It's a cinematic masterpiece. It's beautifully done. Beautifully placed in a magnificent train station "set", which becomes it's own magical world. Great CGI as it should be used: to enhance, not to "blow us away" with special effects. Certainly too thoughtful and slow for fans that only like "action-adventures" such as "Man of Steel." (I happen to like both.) It's a fable about purpose. Purpose in life. Purpose in thought and action. Sacha Baron Cohen turns in the best performance of his life as the "gruff" train station policeman with a heart-of-gold that he is afraid to reveal to others. Great dog actors. Two small dogs and a Dobie. It's a story about a special orphan living in the clock tower of a Paris train station. His purpose is to tend to and wind the clocks because his drunken "Uncle" cannot do it anymore. He is befriended by a little girl, slightly older than himself, who is also an orphan. She lives with her loving grandparents. She does not know that her grandfather is the celebrated magician and filmmaking pioneer George Melies. He is presumed dead, but he is in seclusion, believing that the world has forgotten him, as he also believes that all of his motion picture films have been destroyed. It is not true. Hugo "re-enacts" the famous Harold Lloyd scene and hangs out the window of the clock-tower on the "hands" of the great clock, to avoid capture by the policeman. Several clips from silent films are shown including Harold Lloyd's above-mentioned famous scene and George Melies' filmworks. A magnificent movie for film enthusiasts and children who can sit through a wonderfully enchanting but "slow-moving" film. A Martin Scorses Masterpiece. Should be "G" rated. Nothing really objectionable. Based on the illustrated book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". A bit like "Polar Express" but not as flashy as the movie and not computer animated. (It is live action with real actors.) Paradoxically, this DVD was released so early after it's theatrical release that there is no mention at all of the 5 academy awards that this film deservedly earned.