The Life and Times of Hugo Cabret

Hugo is a 2011 American fantasy adventure film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz, based on the children's book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Hugo is about a boy, named Hugo Cabret, who lives in the Gare Monparnasse railway station, mending and winding the station clocks, orphaned by his parents and abandoned by his uncle. Hugo attempts to repair an automaton left by his father, believing it holds a message from him, and is drawn into a world of cinema and fantasy.

Hugo is perhaps the most beautiful film to be released in recent memory, the film is like a fairy tale, fantastical and vivid, and despite containing much computer generated material, there is a concrete reality to the film. The station is a real place, where one can feel the heat of the steam and the smell of the coal, the whole thing feels tangible and tactile. Scorsese paints a vivid picture full of depth only enhanced by 3D.

Hugo is Scorsese's love letter to cinema, this film is Scorsese saying thank you to the films that inspired him, silent films feature heavily in the films plot and visuals, George Meliès is a character in this film, played by the iconic Ben Kingsley. Despite perhaps not being traditional Scorsese film, in some ways it is a deeply personal work, Scorsese bought the rights to this film after being presented with the book by his daughter, so as well as being a love letter to the world and history of cinema, Hugo is also a film he made for his daughter.

The fact that Hugo was directed, produced and projected in 3D has 2 consequences, firstly it is Scorsese showing that whatever he puts his hands on, he is successful, and the use of 3D in this film was acclaimed even by James Cameron, and is seen as being some of the best 3D cinematography of all time. It also adds a fabulous fantasy quality to the entire movie, and creates a sense of heightened reality.

This film also features some pretty fantastic direction and acting, the films leads give some of the best performances by child actors seen since Kramer Vs Kramer or Paper Moon, and particularly Asa Butterfield as Hugo has presence and subtlety, and manages to carry much of the weight of the film on his shoulders. The supporting cast is also superb, with Ben Kingsley and Christopher Lee's performances standing out. Sacha Baron Cohen also proves that he is perfectly capable of slipping seamlessly into an ensemble cast, without his performance becoming overbearing or overly comical.

Hugo is a movie about movies, a film which tells a delightfully old-fashioned traditional story in a new and innovative way, melding traditional and magical storytelling with modern techniques. If the script is, admittedly a little meandering, and perhaps a bit long for a children's movie (although admittedly restrained for a Martin Scorsese film), the emotional payoff once we reach the end truly packs a punch. Hugo is magical, enchanting and extravagant, a true love letter to the magic of the movies, and a magical movie in itself. Rating: A-

 Georges Méliès: "My friends, I address you all tonight as you truly are; wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, magicians... Come and dream with me."