It is nice to finally see Hollywood manage a 3D movie that doesn’t treat the audience like wide-eyed children on a festive Holiday sugar binge. It has become common practice in the industry to smack the entire theatre upside the head with one nauseating 3D element after another. Inevitably these effects are haphazardly paraded past the audience as if they were explosions in a Michael Bay film. Hugo's director, Martin Scorsese, succeeds where others have failed as he is able to apply the same effects in a tactful and subtle way. Anywhere 3D is used in the film, it is done so in such a way that two dimensions of the film blend together seamlessly. This restrained hand makes this film the first non-3d animated film worth seeing in full 3D.
Anyone who saw the previews for this film most likely thought “Oh great, Scorsese spent too much time at Disney World and sold out to start making 3D kids movies.” While it may seem that the world of popular film is crashing down around us, it quickly becomes obvious why Scorsese got involved with the project in the first place. Hugo is based on the 2007 historical fiction book entitled: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selcnick. This magic story is an unapologetic love letter to cinema itself and a celebration of the early pioneers of the art. The passion in the story makes this one of Scorsese's most touching and imaginative films. This is a double-edged sword however, as some viewers may complain that Hugo is too 'brainy', and indeed it may be for some mainstream audiences.
Even with the added element of 3D, Hugo, is unmistakably a Martin Scorsese film. As with Gangs of New York, sweeping camera work is used to explore the dense and provocative city scenery. This is a method employed throughout Hugo and the most poignant use of this technique is films introduction where we float through the Paris train station. While the title would suggest the film is about an automaton, and the plot does revolve around one, the key take-away from the story is a soul-stirring love of cinema. Hugo is a movie about making movies created by one of the foremost master film-makers of our time. For this reason alone, it is an experience worth seeing and a work of visual beauty to behold.
After the broad introduction to 1930's Paris, we are introduced to a young Hugo Cabret who is played by Asa Butterfield. Hugo is the orphaned son of a master clock-maker, who lives inside Paris’ train station maintaining and repairing the many clocks for his drunken uncle. Hugo’s uncle has gone missing leaving Hugo alone within the walls of the train station. As he does not want to be sent to an orphanage he chooses to go about his Uncle’s job of fixing the clocks without being noticed. The scenes of Hugo running through the walls are kept lively with dreary but evocative steam-punk environments. The whirling gears and releasing steam valves are rarely out-of sight for long.
We are quickly introduced to the train stations inhabitants, such as the train stations police inspector played by Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat. The train inspector is a war veteran, who requires a leg apparatus to walk, which at times can be quite comical. We also meet Madame Emilie played by Frances de la Tour and Monsieur Frick played by Richard Griffiths, both known for their roles in Harry Potter. Frick has a fondness for Emilie, however whenever he gets close her dachshund attacks him. All these miniature stories played in the background show a real depth to this busy and chaotic station.
Next we learn that Hugo's father passed away in a museum fire but left him a mysterious automaton. The automaton is essentially an old mechanical robot with the ability to draw pictures or write letters. Hugo spends much of his free time attempting to repair the device, as he believes it carries a secret message from his father. However, Hugo lacks the special heart-shaped key to make the machine move again. To fix the mechanical object Hugo often has to steal items from the station. One day, while stealing a clock-work toy mouse from the local toy maker, played by Ben Kingsley, he gets caught. The toy maker takes Hugo’s blue-prints of the automaton and tells him to get-lost, threatening to burn the book that once belonged to Hugo’s father. Convinced that the automaton contains a message from his father, Hugo goes through great lengths to fix the machine. He gains assistance from the toymakers god-daughter Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). Isabelle and Hugo become fast friends, reading books together and one day going to see an old time movie. Hugo shows Isabelle the automaton at which time Isabelle shows Hugo a key heart necklace given to her by her God-mother. The heart necklace fits the automaton allowing it to start working. The automaton draws a sketch of a still from an old movie that Hugo once saw with this dad, which ends up spinning Hugo’s and Isabelle’s life in a whole new direction.
From the early scenes it is very apparent from the look of the set and scene set-up that Hugo is embracing a modern trend in film making, which is to remove 3D from film as a gimmick. Scorsese uses bold strokes where he chooses to implement the technology, often using it to add supplemental material rather than create the fabric of the scene. The choices Scorsese makes are pioneering and mentally stimulating in both the creativity of their conception and the production of their implementation. The first scenes of the train station come to mind as shining examples of how the subtle use of 3D can successfully augment any movie going experience. Every shot is combined with 3D to produce astounding depth. The arm of the clocks hang into the foreground, steam jets from pipes and off the screen, snow and dust are used everywhere to complete the sense of three-dimensional immersion.
Later in the film we are treated to a fantastic scene where we see the making of old time films in an early movie studio. An underwater scene comes to life in astonishing detail and depth as fish, shrimp, and bubbles float by. A monster built to scale using wood and fabric lashes out at the audience. The storybook nature and dream-like atmosphere of the scene is an ideal use of the 3D medium. The fun and excitement of these early productions, more reminiscent of a play than a modern movie set, is palatable in the air. These scenes form one of the most compelling cases to-date for why 3D should actually become more than just a novelty. Future filmmakers will no-doubt reference the scene when searching for inspiration for many years to come.
Expert screenwriter John Logan (of Gladiator and The Last Samauri) is a true wizard when it comes to adapting a good book into a good film. Not always an easy task, the screenplay offers something for every generation. There is almost too much going on in Hugo, but Logan manages to weave complex plot elements between one another without too much stumbling. While the deeper context of the film may be lost on small kids, the adventure and the visuals will enchant just about everyone. The entire story elements come together artfully, which is an achievement in-and-of-itself, considering the sheer number of plot parts the team had to wrap together. Some of the side plots almost feel extraneous but are brief and don’t get too much in the way.
Casting is expertly done with only a few exceptions. Clearly Scorsese's name can bring in the big talent even on a smaller production like Hugo. Jude Law makes an appearance, as does Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg. All of these minor roles work together to form an interesting side-narrative and each member of the cast adds a small piece that augments the whole. Sacha Baron Cohen being cast as the over-bearing inspector with a steam-punk leg disability is questionable as his antics quickly become tiresome. Some of the street exchanges between Cohen and his apparent love interest have the best intentions but come off as being highly dubious. There are some other attempts to use his character to sprinkle in real-life texturing reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Jeunet ambient masterpiece Amelie, but these fail to deliver with any sort of depth.
As purely comic relief, Cohen's character is upbeat at-first and a welcome relief from Hugo’s dreary life. Unfortunately, he devolves into something of a parlor clown before eventually becoming a serious threat to Hugo’s well being just before the film ending. This creates a character that is both crass and generally unlikable rather than a mystery of the station. Chloe Moretz's character, Isabelle, is also clever counter-point to the often-serious and understandably depressed Hugo. Fans of the Harry Potter series might feel as if Hermione Granger was torn directly from the pages of J.K Rowlings novels and placed along side Hugo. This comparison is a fair one, and she fails to add anything substantial beyond that. Her penchant for using large words and researching any problem first in the library offers little else to drawn on.
Hugo is not expressly a kid’s film and it should not be confused for one. It is, however, a strong family film that is more than deep enough to entertain the older members of the family. Much of what makes Hugo the enchanting story it is will be over the heads of small children, who will be unable to grasp the historical importance of the story, however film lovers will be drawn to Scorsase's adaptation every time. The scene where sets and costumes are burned because no one wants them anymore is enough to draw a tear from any true movie fan. Even the typical viewer will undoubtedly enjoy the time they spent eating their popcorn and take confidence in the understanding that their entertainment dollar is in good hands.
