As I have reached the stage in my life in which I need to start making choices for university, deciding what my future is going to look like and just generally getting stressed about everything, it was a welcome break to immerse myself in a children's movie. But what surprised me, is that I was utterly mesmerised. Well, it is the work of the great Martin Scorsese after all. Having understood that he is not known for making child friendly films - I studied Taxi Driver for AS Film Studies - I wondered how he would go about creating a successful children's movie. What also surprised me, was that I was in for a treat.
The story begins with a shot of post-war Paris - yet it is seen as one enormous clockwork machine, giving a hint to the audience about what's to come before we've even met the characters. We are shortly introduced to young Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield - who I would gladly adopt) and how he searches out, or rather steals, pieces of clockwork in order to fix a mechanical man, left unfinished by his deceased watchmaker father (Jude Law, shown in flashback). This eventually leads him on a magical adventure into the history of cinema and, along with new friend Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), he discovers the secret of her grandfather's mysterious past. How? Because Isabelle's grandfather is none other than the film-maker Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley), who runs the toy shop at the Paris railway station that Hugo steals clock parts from. This beautiful setting alone is astounding, giving no doubt as to why the film won a Bafta for Production Design and an Academy Award for Art Direction, among others.
Aside from the near perfect backdrop of 1930s Paris, the characters themselves are wonderfully portrayed, although Isabelle's persistant and overexcited "Bravo!" and other similar outbursts get a little tedious. However, the awkward but sweet relationship between the newspaper man and the lady with the cafe is another humorous aspect of the film that adds charm. Also, Sacha Baron Cohen as the stern but loveable station inspector is another fun element, far away from the horrors of Borat and other similar characters he has dreamt up over the years. He appears frightening due to the metal clasp around his leg where he was injured in World War One, but his frequent shyness and failed attempts to make conversation with the station's flower seller demonstrates his vulnerability, and also how he's just as human as the rest of us.
On a final note, don't be put off by the fact that Hugo is a children's movie. Yes, the story has a happy ending and revolves around a 10 year old boy, but the death of Hugo's father and the element of mystery keeps it from becoming too young. Also, the performances are fantastic and the film almost acts like a tribute to early cinema - see, it's practically educational! In fact, after watching I was left feeling considerably happy, if a tad nostalgic.
Rating: 4 stars - a must see! Yes, buy the DVD!
Georgie
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