"Come Dream With Me."
-Georges Melies' (Played by Ben Kingsley)That's exactly Hugo (the film) wants you to do.It wants you to dream...And today,I just experienced a miraculously magical movie today called Hugo,I have to say that it was great all the way around.In other words,I just watched Hugo today and I had a wonderful good time.Like any review,here I will tell you my thoughts/insights about the film,but before telling 'em,I'll just give you few details about the film.Hugo is directed by Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver/Raging Bull/The Departed) and stars Asa Butterfield (The Boy In The Striped Pajamas),Ben Kingsley (Schindler's List/Gandhi),Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass/Let Me In) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Les Miserables).The film Hugo is based on the 2007 book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" which was written by Brian Selznick.Selznick also wrote the screenplay for the film along with John Logan.Hugo won 5 Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards including Best Cinematography,Best Art Direction,Best Visual Effects,Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
>Story
>Acting/Performances
>Visuals/Music/Miscellaneous
>Direction/Director's Effort
Let's start.
Story:
Hugo had a simple plot that tells about an orphan who resides in the walls of a train station and gets wrapped up in a mystery that involves his late father and an automaton.However,if you carefully tear the main story apart,you will find more sub-stories about the film's different characters.First is of course,Hugo's story that involves his father and the automaton his dad left him,second would be George Melies' painful past and present and third would be about the early age of film.But if you piece them all together,it results into one great story about broken dreams,finding a home and settling down.I loved in the film how they told those three stories.First half of the film gave emphasis on the titular orphan Hugo,and the second half focused on the automaton Hugo has and the message it delivers that involves George Melies.But once the story becomes full circle and once it focuses on George Melies' life,it just becomes better and better until it reaches the end.In the end,Martin Scorsese and the writers gave us a bloodless film replaced with heart and emotion that still results into brilliance.
Acting/Performances:
First of all,in case you noticed,for a Scorsese film,Hugo wasn't star-studded.In fact,the only star-power it had was Ben Kingsley,who plays George Melies.However,even Kingsley was the only "star" it had,the performances from the fresh cast still doesn't fail to impress.In my opinion,I thought that Asa Butterfield was perfect in playing Hugo.He delivered his lines emotionally and sometimes he somehow hypnotizes you to make you sad just like his character feels.I thought that even though he isn't shining bright in the limelight yet,he is an excellent actor despite the fact that he is still a child.He was exceptional in the film and I thought that he can compete against Hailee Steinfeld from 2010's True Grit.Chloe Grace Moretz plays Isabelle,a bookworm.I thought that Chloe's character felt like Hermione once again in the HP films nonetheless,she was still great and perfect.In fact,I loved her "seeking for adventure" behavior.Now let's get on to Ben Kingsley...Mr.Kingsley was just really terrific in this film,he gave a strong emotional performance to his character George Melies',a washed-up film director who gave up his career.You could just really feel his sadness and pain throughout the film.I have to say,Ben Kingsley was the right choice for the role.Bravo for him.Let's get on to the supporting cast...For the supporting cast they were still fine.Specially Jude Law despite his very short screentime.For the film's dialogue,it never felt cheesy and sappy instead,it always stood strong and highly emotional.Specially Hugo's lines and Georges'.All in all,Hugo doesn't need star powered performances to excel,it really is reliable to the fresh faces and the veteran.Thus,the acting/performances were never a let down.Same with the script written,which was well-written indeed.
Visuals/Music/Miscellaneous:
Of all you need to know,Hugo is CGI-heavy,but the CGI is all properly executed.The CGI is what makes Hugo one of the best film experiences I've ever had.It truly is a visual spectacle that definitely needs to be seen in 3D.Too bad I wasn't able to.The special effects in the film were outstanding,everything looked like the real thing.Specially 1930s France.It was modeled perfectly and really looked like the early FranceThe film just imagines what amazing things what CGI can do if used properly.For the 3D,I have to say that this was designed to be seen in the said format.The 3D would immerse you into the world of Hugo,and the 3D enhances the film's greatness and visual effects.No doubt it won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.Kudos to the VFX crew for dazzling us with jaw-dropping visuals.Hugo's cinematography was fine,the way the camera moved around was great particularly during the opening scene where Hugo runs through the train station.And the scene where the illustration papers were flying around.Needless to say,the cinematography was great and it deserved to win.Howard Shore once again brings us another piece of orchestral art by composing the score for Hugo.Hugo's marvelous score entices our ears by amazingly blending in with the film's tone.The score's tone blended perfectly with the film's vibe and the music sometimes affects the emotions of the viewers.I know it sounds akward to say this,but this is the truth: Hugo had spectacular visuals that will deceive your eye and music that will please your ears.Direction/Director's Effort:
Martin Scorsese directed Hugo quite well.He wound up as the perfect director for the film by picking a talented fresh cast,amazing story-telling,and by delivering amazing dazzling visuals that serves as a nice competitor to Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin.But I have to say that Hugo was better but still,Tintin is one of my faves.I loved how Martin Scorsese made Hugo as a story of a lone orphan slash story of a has-been movie director slash tribute to the early age of cinema.Even though Hugo isn't like any of the other classic Scorsese films,it still pays up to be one.And I now consider it as one of the director's finest films in the modern era of his career.Martin Scorsese may have made Hugo one of his best films in the modern age ever since The Departed.But of course,Hugo is still uncomparable to his early masterpieces Taxi Driver and GoodFellas and Raging Bull as well.
Overall:
Hugo may be dazzling,but you shouldn't focus much on the eye-candy visuals 'cause it still has an amazing story to offer rather than that.The emotional performances will move you and so does the film.Hugo indeed is an artsy dream filled with dazzlement and heartful emotions.It may be considered as Scorsese's Avatar due to the heavy amount of wow-inducing visuals.
Hugo gets 8.3 stars over 10 and it definitely comes in as highly recommended.It indeed is one of my favorite films.
*Looking for more dazzling visual spectacles like this? Try 2001: A Space Odyssey,The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Star Trek (2009).Available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed by Magnavision Home Video.
**Want to watch more of the legendary director's work? Try the gangster-drama The Departed,the saga of crime and corruption in Vegas which is Casino and the ever-unforgettable Taxi Driver.Available today on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed by Magnavision Home Video.
Thanks for reading this review and see you soon until the next FilmReview.
Watch this clip from the film for now:
(C)2011 Paramount Pictures/GK Films
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