Hugo

Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz in Martin Scorsese's Hugo

 ***1/2 out of ****

Hugo is a brilliant love letter to cinema history. It's magical in almost every way. The acting is flawless. The homage to early cinema finds it's way into the modern craft gracefully. Even if you find 3D movies taxing to the senses, it is still obvious that this movie was tailored for the process and no time was wasted in utilizing it. 

I will definitely view this movie again and see if I can get over the one issue I have with most Martin Scorsese films. I hate saying this about one of the all time greatest of American directors, but I have always felt like Scorsese movies can feel monotonous. He finds, through astounding production ability, a mood for his movie and never deviates. He may change color scheme and environment, but the score and the editing tend to stay the same throughout the picture. To many film enthusiasts and Scorsese himself, there's nothing wrong with this. My taste for Scorsese films has always been only slightly dissatisfied by a slight dragging feeling. I got that feeling during parts of Hugo.

I almost feel terrible complaining about such a thing because Hugo is one of the best movies about movies ever! A lot of credit can go to the original author of the book, The Adventures of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick. This author did extensive research on the cinematic innovator Georges Méliès whom this movie is the focus of. He also does a great service to the post World War I Paris and the train station this film is set in. 

This movie is such a delightful education that I hope will interest a new generation in the creative art of film-making. There is no question that it will interest adults more.