You Go, We Go, Hugo

There is a small handful of kids films that are way too good for kids, either thematically or stylistically. Things like A Little Princess, Wall-E, E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial and The Iron Giant all have central characters that are kids, or are cute enough to appeal to kids, but are told in a way that communicates their subtext in a way that only a world wise adult would fully appreciate. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo also falls into that category with a mature, old fashioned style combined with rich thematic layers all wrapped up in a fast paced adventure yarn.

The performances are all strong, particularly Asa Butterfield as the title character and Sacha Baron Cohen in a comedic villain role which appears to have been hilariously ad libbed somewhat. However the story really belongs to Ben Kingsley’s Papa Georges and it’s his moving portrayal as the broken toy stall owner that adds real depth to proceedings. Technically the film is a marvel, especially from a production design standpoint, which is glorious in its combination of Victorian, Industrial and Gothic Parisian architecture.

But it’s the combination of this particular story with this particular director which makes the film such a joy. Scorsese has long been regarded one of the masters of cinema and is famous for constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation as he does here using digital image capture technology and 3D techniques for the first time.

Story wise, Hugo has a subtext which is essentially a love letter to cinema itself; how it was invented, how it’s made, its early history and the pioneers in front and behind the screen. Cleverly the director weaves iconic images from the silent cinema era with reinterpretations of similar images using all the flair that modern CGI and 3D can offer. It’s like Scorsese is saying “Hey guys, look at this! Isn’t the invention of cinema bloody marvellous and look what we can do these days. Pretty bloody great, huh?”…or something like that.

Clockwork is also a recurring image throughout Hugo, whether it’s the wind up toys in Kingsley’s shop, the mechanics of the Train Station’s clocks or the intricate metal mannequin that propels the plot forward. It’s all subtext for the inter-connectedness of people and life and how we all depend on each other. Like every cog in a clockwork mechanism must have purpose, it’s that search for purpose that provides the deepest emotional rewards in Hugo making the film a feel good family movie (but thankfully lacking in the irritating sentimentality that graced Spielberg's Twilight Zone for example).

A deeply satisfying film experience that's enhanced the bigger the fan of cinema you are.