A masterpiece in filmmaking

Rating: 10/10 (26 August 2012)

I went into this film, not knowing much about it other than it has been much loved since its release last year. And rightfully so. "Hugo" is one of the most unique and captivating movies I have ever seen. Hugo Cabret is a young orphan who isn't quite sure what he wants to do with his life, except for one thing he is absolutely certain of: fixing a strange mechanical man that could not be completed due to his fathers death. One day, when trying to steal from a toy maker, his plan backfires and the toy maker takes something very important to Hugo: his fathers notebook. In his attempt to get it back, he meets a young girl and together they find out that there is more to this toy maker than what meets the eye. Throughout the first hour, I wasn't sure where it all was going but everything couldn't have come together in a more enjoyable or astounding way. I can see how this movie would appeal specifically to film buffs, like myself, because of the numerous direct references to the early history of film and how cinema really is how it is portrayed here: dreams coming alive.