Hugo (2011)

With his new film "Hugo", based on Brian Selznick's 2007 novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", Martin Scorcese has proven, after making everything from crime dramas to comedies to horror films, that he can also make an excellent kid's film (and an excellent 3-D film to boot).

Fine, Mr. Scorcese.  You win.  You're the King of All Filmmakers.  Happy?

I'm really not bitter at all - "Hugo" is one of my favorite films of 2011.  But explaining why I feel this way would delve into spoiler territory, and I just can't do that in this case.  So this will be a somewhat short review.

I wasn't familiar with the source novel and I'd seen very few ads beforehand, so I had very little knowledge and very few expectations when going into this movie.  But where this movie goes in its second half is, well. . . it's actually a bit personal.  It delves into a subject near and dear to my heart, a subject I wrote my thesis on in college.  And it also explains why the first half of this movie seemed kind of familiar to me, but I couldn't exactly figure out why.  See, it's (largely) based on a true story, although the main character of Hugo Cabret is fictional, as are many of the supporting characters.

The movie takes place in Paris during the '30s.  A young orphan boy named Hugo lives in a hidden maintenance room in Montparnasse train station, where he tends to the station clock.  He also spends time searching for parts to help him fix a clockwork automaton that his father was obsessed with before he died.  After getting caught stealing from a man who runs a toy shop at the station, Hugo embarks on a journey of mystery and wonder that will lead him, and another person, to a point of emotional salvation.

Asa Butterfield, the kid who plays Hugo, gets the thankless job of, like Daniel Radcliffe or Mark Hamill, being the "straight man" to a cast of unique and engaging characters, but manages to hold his own quite nicely.  But, like the Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker actors, he still gets outshined by his costars.  Ben Kingsley soars as George the toymaker, in what is easily his best role in years.  Chloe Grace Moretz, as Hugo's vocabularily affluent friend, is a talented future star in the making, after this, "Kick-Ass" and "Let Me In".  Then again, so was Lindsay Lohan, once upon a time.  Hopefully Chloe won't go that route.  Sacha Baron Cohen, as the orphan-hunting antagonist known only as Station Inspector, is incredibly funny and, like all of his comedic roles, completely unique.  He's gonna be great as Freddie Mercury in that upcoming Queen biopic.  The rest of the supporting cast is made of of many talented character actors, including Chrisopher Lee (legendary, though very frail-looking) and, probably the most underrated cast member, Helen McCrory as George's wife Mama Jeanne.  She may be the most subtly complex character in the whole movie and is a joy to watch.

Scorcese knows what he's doing.  He directs with a sure hand and the 3-D is very well utilized and not gimmicky - there's one scene in particular where the Station Inspector is leaning in towards the audience while interrogating a character offscreen, and it's both funny and uncomfortable.  This may be my favorite 3-D movie of 2011.  It's also a very loving ode to cinema of the 20s and 30s, with many tips of the hat to specific films of that era that, thankfully, are never distracting.

My only issue with this movie is one of preachiness.  There is a message here - it's about film preservation, and it's a little obvious and in-your-face.  I agree with the message, so it's totally fine with me.  But, like I said, too obvious (inevitable, given the plotline).

This was the movie I saw after "The Muppets", and the second film in a row to get rousing applause from the audience I was with (applause at movies is pointless, but I understand the gesture).  And the kids in the audience never got restless, which was a relief.  I guess they know good stuff when they see it!

I may be leaving things a little vague in regards to what exactly surprised and delighted me about "Hugo", but I just can't spoil it.  I fully realize that there are plenty of people out there who wouldn't actually care a great deal about being spoiled on the plot developments that I won't mention, but, dang it, you can only be surprised by a movie or book one time, and I just can't rob anyone of that experience.  Or the slight possibility of having that experience.  Just go see it, then decide if I was right or not.