Upon seeing the trailer for "Hugo", I wasn't overly impressed. The blaring emphasis on 3D made me worried it was more spectacle than substance. Still, it was directed by Martin Scorsese, and had Ben Kingsley in it, so I decided to put aside my fears and go see it anyway.
Am I ever glad I did! This is a sweet and gentle tale, full of unexpected warmth and depth. It is the story of Hugo Cabret, an orphan and keeper of the clocks at a train station in Paris. His only connection to his deceased father is a broken-down automaton the two were repairing before his father's demise in a fire. When Hugo is caught stealing parts for the automaton by the old owner of a toy shop in the station (Kingsley), his booklet of sketches related to the curious mechanical man is taken from him. Attempting to retrieve it, he meets Isabelle, the goddaughter of the aged man. Together, they begin to unravel the mystery behind Kingsley's character and help bring his true identity to light. (It shouldn't be that much of a surprise to anyone with knowledge of early film history that has a chance to look at the cast list here on IMDb. Does the name "Georges Méliès" ring any bells?)
Asa Butterfield does capably in the title role, and Chloe Grace Moretz shines sublimely as the precocious Isabelle. Of course, Ben Kingsley gives a terrific performance, powerful and poignant. He plays a broken man anguished by the shadows of the past.
These three are the central figures of the film, yet the side characters are handled equally well. That really struck me. A lesser filmmaker might have let such characters come off as just caricatures, especially in a children's film. Scorsese doesn't allow for that to happen. Richard Griffiths', Frances de la Tour's and Christopher Lee's characters are all skillfully imbued with humanity so that the audience feels for them and seems to get to know them in spite of their short periods on screen. Even Sacha Baron Cohen's silly Station Inspector is more than a one-dimensional figure. In between his cartoonish antics and chases after Hugo, he is shown to be painfully shy, pining desperately for the affections of an attractive woman who sells flowers. We learn also that he was wounded in World War I, and that it was his days growing up without love in the strict environment of an orphanage that so embittered him towards the world. He is not merely some comic antagonist tossed in for the sake of slapstick. Instead, he is a fascinating and well-developed character in his own right. One feels compassion and pity for him, and hopes he will have the courage to speak up and win the heart of his love, that their quirky relationship will blossom into romance.
In short, this is a simply lovely film. There has been some uproar and befuddlement over the director of such films as "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas" making a 'children's movie'. I must admit I was a little abashed myself upon first hearing it. But "Hugo" shows that a so-called children's movie doesn't have to be inane or infantile. This is an intelligent and wondrous work – never sappy or banal. In part a tribute to the magic of cinema, it reminded me why I love motion pictures so much. With its richness and nuance, "Hugo" should appeal to children and adults alike. I realize that saying sounds a little clichéd, but in this case I have faith in the truth of it.
