So beautiful! It works wonders on everyone!

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2012)

Once again this school holidays we have another family film pestering serious moviegoers to be seen because of its impressive line-up of talent on both sides of the camera, its dazzlingly positive reviews, its boastful incorporation of weighty concepts and its self-professed widespread appeal. People eventually discard their misgivings and hop and board because they feel that they would otherwise be missing out on something important. Unfortunately, the film usually disappoints as soon as the audience begins critically examine this critically-lauded film and finds its story to rife with revolting clichés, its themes plucked from easy and overused targets, such as World War 2, and its universality entirely dependent on the younger viewers misunderstanding the true substance of the piece.
For these deficiencies, the critics always make the excuse that one must re-enter that state of childlike acceptance of the preposterous in order to fully appreciate the film. However, they condemn those that do watch films in this same mindset when writing about the way they flock heedlessly to summer blockbusters. It often seems that reviewers just arbitrarily pick out one of the many hackneyed and saccharine family films and refer to them as "heart-warming".
Hugo, however, doesn't ask forgiveness for anything. All it requires of us is two hours of our time to show all the spectacular tricks it can perform. Adapted from Brian Selznick's book The Adventures of Hugo Cabret is a film in two indistinct halves: one simple, slow and enigmatic, elevated by astonishing visuals, the other more pacey and fascinatingly complex, with more of a focus on story; one exploring the wonders of machinery, the other delving into the rich world of early cinema.
Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is one of the many orphans left in the aftermath of the Great War, now scraping out an existence stealing food from the shops of a Parisian train station and dwelling inside and secretly operating the intricate workings of the enormous clock tower that overlooks the busy swarm of passengers boarding the trains to work each day. He is constantly dodging and living in fear of the ruthless station insepctor (Sacha Baron Cohen), a hardened war veteran who hobbles about in a troublesome, squeaky peg leg. However, it is not the inspector who eventually catches him but the equally humourless and world-weary owner of a toy repair shop (Ben Kingsley) who catches him stealing parts for a mysterious project. He seizes searches and harasses the poor boy, who he sees as a worthless thief, finding an eerily familiar notebook of mechanical calculations and sketches in his pockets, which he confiscates. Hugo insists on having it returned to him, no matter how many times the man refuses or threatens him, and goes to the point of enlisting the help of the man's sympathetic ward Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz).
It takes quite a while for any light to be shed on the subject of this all-important notebook, or indeed anything else surrounding the boy or the old man, but it would be terrible of me to reveal anything as the audience is very deliberately kept in the dark for much of the movie. As I've said before, the breathtaking 3D imagery of the vague early passages prevents the audience from drifting off or becoming impatient. Details such as the camera's swift turns and dips in a fast-paced navigation through stylistically designed cascading snow-covered rooftops, jungles of clockwork and fast-moving steam trains make every scene utterly captivating.
Then, as secrets are uncovered, characters fleshed out, relationships cemented and dramatic events start to occur, the eye candy is either packed away so as not be distracting, or the audience becomes accustomed the stunning aesthetic – I'm not sure which – and the film takes flight in a very different way. As describing these climactic sections is impossible to do without ruining its effect – this is the most prevalent flaw in the concept of film reviews – let me simply say for all its teetering on the edge of toxic contrivances, it pulls through with believability and purpose. In fact, it is on these latter two qualities where it finds the common ground between the two aforementioned fields. At least in its early stages, motion pictures were among the other stupendous carnival attractions that impressed everyone with its innovative creation of a seamless illusion.
Finally, as for the ensemble of accomplished cinematic practitioners, due credit must go to Martin Scorcese, who directs without losing his artistic integrity or his maturity, but still ensuring that younger audiences will have something to marvel at, and some element of the film's meaning to hold onto. His cast has been impressively assembled, and do a fine job in their roles. It is a pleasure to see Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour (all who are now best known for their involvement in the Harry Potter films), the lovely Emily Mortimer, the charming Jude Law, the irrepressibly robust Ray Winstone and the monstrously prolific, now 89-year-old Christopher Lee taking on colourful supporting roles. However, deserving of particular mention are Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen and Kingsley give terrifically sympathetic and multi-layered portrayals of two of the war's most miserable victims, and while Kingsley has put his abilities to good use, Cohen sadly often wastes his lively comic charisma trying to offend as many people as possible instead of making them appreciated in films like Sweeney Todd and Madagascar. Most importantly, our young star Master Butterfield has finally found some worthy exposure for his remarkable portrayals of troubled boys who have long lived in very difficult circumstances, but have hardly grown especially stealthy or adept at coping with their environment, and still retain an internal emotional delicacy.
So, believe me when I say that Hugo is a must-see remarkable cinematic achievement for the entire family, and, best of all, you can critically analyse all you like, it can take it!