Apologies for lateness. Color me lazy.
As I didn’t read the book, I went into Scorsese’s film quite blind. A combination of his daughter’s request for a movie she could watch and Scorsese’s own love of 3D film, Hugo tells of an orphan who is determined to repair an automaton his father started fixing.
This movie’s plot is one to watch instead of reading a summary in a review. The technical aspect of the plot is that it is two part, the setting and the stage. In all, I found it too fragmented. I plan to read the book and watch the film again.
The characters are fun and actor chemistry is fantastic. The story is dripping with a sense of adventure that accompanies childhood naivete. The movie also reminds younger viewers that those older than they were once as young and as idealistic as the young are now. This holds especially true when the movie diverts from Hugo’s story to a biographical one.
It’s a tough film to critique without having read the book. Therefore, I won’t numerically score this. Simply put, see it if you have read the book, or if your kid wants to see it, or if you want to see some of the first films ever made in 3D.
If you miss it in theatres, get the 3D Blu Ray. Scorsese made it 3D for a reason.
Bonus info: this movie got a ton of damn Oscar nods. Take that how you will.