Good not great

Rating: 7/10 (28 November 2011)

I went in with high expectations. Heck, the movie was sitting at 8.6 on here(still is?).
74/100 Hugo is a visual masterpiece. It did have some of the best use of 3D technology to date, but I still wish I had gone to see the 2D version. 3D is kind of cool, but I think it takes away from the clarity of the picture. This may be the last time I spend my money on a 3D picture, and it has nothing to do with Scorcese's first attempt with this technology - he did a great job.
This movie is not a comedy. It's quite important to know that going in. It is a drama about an orphan/genius/clockmaker.
The film is, for the most part, light-hearted and feel-good throughout, but the film really doesn't have a great story to tell. Scorcese goes in many different directions here, and tries to mold them together in what becomes an anti-climactic finish.
I think the film would have benefited from more dialog for its' lead character.
Small spoilers coming. The whole movie-theme here was interesting, but like the rest of the film it thrives only visually and doesn't seem to have much substance. Hearing Ben Kingsley talk about why his films waned in popularity seemed like a bunch of jabberwocky. The whole theme resonated like another nod to Hollywood that really boosts ratings for some reason, but never really tugs the heart-strings. It's a given that any film "about film or making film" is going to be over-rated in these circles. Why? I have no idea.(Hollywood likes itself - see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Get SHorty, The Player, Adaptation, Ed Wood, etc - make a Hollywood movie and the critics will Loooooove you) Granted, some of those films are very good, but they still tend to be over-rated.
That also means this is going to be getting some Oscar nominations. It could be in the race for cinematography and some other 'visual' categories, but this is no best picture by any means.
We needed this film to have as much focus on the dialog and story as it did the visuals and the film-theme. It was obvious to me that the director was bowing to film-makers and Ben Kingsley, and not really worrying too much about the rest of us.
The film needed some more comedy and action. And even though it's a drama - it needed more drama too.
The film is beautiful to look at, and in that aspect it might very well be the best movie of the year. The problem here is that there are virtually no stand out scenes. I've read some reviews that talked about other peoples' reactions to the film. While I didn't interview anybody else in the theater - everyone in the theater did not react to the film for the duration, and they were half way out of their seats 5 seconds before the credits rolled.
A great example of visual genius with a huge dose of existentialism from the director. In the end, it's just another over-rated film about making film that the average person can't relate to, and the other story-lines fall kind of flat.
The whole time I was thinking, "what he's doing with camera is amazing, but what he's doing with the story is dull".
I know this review was harsh. This is a good movie, but it deserves more like 7.5. If you want a better example of this type of story/style - then revisit "The Black Stallion". It has more interesting characters, more action, and more that the common person can relate to than this film does - and it's no less of a visual masterpiece. I find it weird that "The Black Stallion" can employ a kid that never acted in his life before the production, and yet that performance has more substance than the lead characters in the last two blockbusters I watched(Hugo and Super 8).Why "The Black Stallion" is rated 7.1 and this is rated 8.6 is beyond me. I know which one I'd rather re-watch.
Worth a look, but do not expect action or comedy.
You might like this if you liked:The Black Stallion(better), The Polar Express(not as good), Cinema Paradiso(much better) Great Expectations(hawke version, better), or City of Ember(worse).
Right now it's sitting at 7 on my top 10 of 2011 list, but it might have trouble holding on with Meloncholia, 50/50, Midnight in Paris, and Drive still in the watch-list.