Visually impressive, charming family tale

Rating: 8/10 (6 March 2012)

After reading many negative reviews for "Hugo", I felt obliged to watch the film to discover why it was a contender at the Oscars.
In terms of the visual production values, this is a breathtaking film and some of the sets are simply stunning. In addition to this, the film had a wonderful charm throughout that kept me positive throughout viewing and made me want to ignore the flaws of the movie and just enjoy the journey.
The characters are, generally, brilliant, and Chloe Moretz and Ben Kingsley both give tremendous performances. However, my problem was, unfortunately, with the films protagonist, as although Asa Butterfield takes on the leading role well, the character of Hugo came across, to me, as little more than a sulky, negative kid.
The plot and pacing of the film is fairly good; there is enough unpredictability and room for guessing, as well as a few unexpected twists and secrets to keep the story engaging, however there is a lack of any real significance or importance and the scenario's the characters are placed in seem slightly too trivial to be as entertaining as they could have been.
Overall, I feel that despite Hugo being an irritating character at times, and the plot of his film perhaps lacking the sense of real peril it could have done with, the charming, original and enjoyable style of this movie, portrayed by some strong performances and fantastic visual treats, render Scorcese's first family film a success, that is well worth a couple of hours of anybody's time.