Hugo 3D
HUGO 3D
Written by John Logan
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Gracë Moretz, Ben Kingsley
Once upon a time, there were films that truly transported their audiences, taking them on a journey they could scarcely imagine and leaving them awed and inspired. Then for a long time, Hollywood did all it could to ruin the golden years of cinema, favouring money over magic. Clearly, Martin Scorsese longs for that lost age, as he laments in Hugo, which in a way is his own kind of joyful Cinema Paradiso. It is clear that Brian Selznick's novel struck a chord with the veteran director and cinema lover, who seeks to inspire a new generation through this beautiful film.
In Paris, after the Great War, an orphan named Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) works the clocks in the central train station, alone and in hiding from the over tenacious station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). After he is caught stealing by a toy store trader (Ben Kingsley), Hugo is swept up into the mystery that binds him to his captor's family, and them to history.
The tone of family blockbuster is readily apparent from the very first shot - a dizzying and not altogether pleasant swoop through a crowded train station. It gives the impression that the 3D experience you are about to have will be gimmicky and nauseating, but this is not actually the case. As the film progresses, Scorsese uses the third dimension to grand effect, immersing the viewer as it was always meant to do. Some truly outstanding work by cinematographer Robert Richardson only serves to further this effect - he deftly balances the new technology with elegant symbolism and framing to create some outstanding moments.
Hugo is also lifted above expectations by the lovely writing - one should, of course, give the appropriate nod to Brian Selznick, who penned the source material and illustrations which inspired the look of the film. Credit is also due to John Logan, who delves too deeply into exposition towards the end but is otherwise amusing and poetic.
Butterfield is an amicable lead, supported by the ever-brilliant Chloe Gracë Moretz, who plays Hermione Granger better than Emma Watson ever dreamed. Sir Kingsley, like the film, takes time to warm up, but manages to bring the tale to a wondrous close. And then there's Sacha Baron Cohen, who pulls off another hilarious Cockney character (unusual for a Frenchman).
Surprisingly, it is the sentiment at the core of the story that is Hugo's strongest feature. The plot struggles along for at least half an hour, dangling its restless family audience on a thin thread, until it finally decides where it wants to go, and when it does it becomes remarkable. At the heart of it all is the magic of cinema, and Scorsese's deep love is echoed by the reverence shown in the movie's second half. There truly is magic to be found here.
It is imperfect and overdramatised, but there is a warm and beating heart to Hugo that makes it well worth watching. The makers of this film invite you to come and dream with them, and it's an invitation you will not want to pass up.
In Paris, after the Great War, an orphan named Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) works the clocks in the central train station, alone and in hiding from the over tenacious station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). After he is caught stealing by a toy store trader (Ben Kingsley), Hugo is swept up into the mystery that binds him to his captor's family, and them to history.
The tone of family blockbuster is readily apparent from the very first shot - a dizzying and not altogether pleasant swoop through a crowded train station. It gives the impression that the 3D experience you are about to have will be gimmicky and nauseating, but this is not actually the case. As the film progresses, Scorsese uses the third dimension to grand effect, immersing the viewer as it was always meant to do. Some truly outstanding work by cinematographer Robert Richardson only serves to further this effect - he deftly balances the new technology with elegant symbolism and framing to create some outstanding moments.
Hugo is also lifted above expectations by the lovely writing - one should, of course, give the appropriate nod to Brian Selznick, who penned the source material and illustrations which inspired the look of the film. Credit is also due to John Logan, who delves too deeply into exposition towards the end but is otherwise amusing and poetic.
Butterfield is an amicable lead, supported by the ever-brilliant Chloe Gracë Moretz, who plays Hermione Granger better than Emma Watson ever dreamed. Sir Kingsley, like the film, takes time to warm up, but manages to bring the tale to a wondrous close. And then there's Sacha Baron Cohen, who pulls off another hilarious Cockney character (unusual for a Frenchman).
Surprisingly, it is the sentiment at the core of the story that is Hugo's strongest feature. The plot struggles along for at least half an hour, dangling its restless family audience on a thin thread, until it finally decides where it wants to go, and when it does it becomes remarkable. At the heart of it all is the magic of cinema, and Scorsese's deep love is echoed by the reverence shown in the movie's second half. There truly is magic to be found here.
It is imperfect and overdramatised, but there is a warm and beating heart to Hugo that makes it well worth watching. The makers of this film invite you to come and dream with them, and it's an invitation you will not want to pass up.
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