Set in the early 1930s, a young boy named Hugo Cabret becomes an orphan and is trapped within the walls of a train station. Before his father died, he was working on a robot that they discovered at a museum, and the two decided to fix it. Once it is up to only Hugo, it is up to him to fix it and gets involved in an adventure with a grouchy old man (Ben Kingsley) and his adventurous god-daughter (Chloë Grace Moretz). As he shows the robot to the man, he starts to reminisce his past and his contributions to the art of film making.
Despite being marketed for kids, this is a pretty complex film. It is best recommended for kids ten and up as younger children may not follow the story as well. Despite that, any viewer will be hooked from the second the opening credits roll. It has a fantastic mix of mystery, drama, suspense, and comedy thanks to an entertaining performance by Sacha Baron Cohen as the station inspector. All of the leads do well at capturing the viewer's attention without making them bored.
The score by Howard Shore and the art direction are the basis in adding the perfect amount of atmosphere in the film. They both are beautiful, memorable, and poetic. The music also helps for the down time when much action isn't occurring at the time, making it feel relaxing and even comforting. I expect nominations in both of these categories for the Oscars this year.
What else can I say? This film is great. There is no other film that put me in such a satisfied state and had me smiling for half of the film due to its charm. The energy is terrific, Kingsley is terrific, and the time and care Scorsese put into this is well worth his time. This is a film I recommend to anyone, as Hugo receives a 3.5/4.
