This fanciful 3-D
spectacle looked and moved like a pop-up children’s book, which is a good thing. The story is light, sentimental, and strummed
gently on my heartstrings. There is a
dash of suspense, accents of action, and a fun ensemble cast. The scene of Hugo (Asa Butterfield) hanging on the big hand of
the clock, suspended high above Paris is riveting, visceral, and a special ode
to films of the past.
Little Hugo is
driven to unlock the mystery of his own life while helping others discover the
purpose of theirs. His friend and
partner in crime Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) is a worthy compatriot and a welcome
relief as a wonderfully skilled young actress.
This is a good
but not exceptional film. Individual
images that create an illusion of depth using the potential of 3-D became predictable
and too clever to ignore. Also when you
see the film next time you will notice that in mediums and close ups everyone’s
hands are huge. Once you notice this,
it’s hard to look away. It’s like one of
Jerry Seinfeld’s problem dates.
I feel that
“Hugo” is too long at two hours and six minutes. What does this mean when someone says “That
film was okay but it was way too long.”?
Is it a subjective perception of the passage of time? No one ever says, “Oh that film was way too
short. I didn’t like it because it was
too short.”
Film is a
time-based medium. Story events occur
over time. Theme, content, and cinematic
experience are distributed throughout a set length of time. Is there an appropriate formula? Some films swim by quickly at two or three hours. Some films drag by at ninety-two minutes
torturing the audience. A good film keeps the audience enthralled over whatever time period it takes
to tell the story. It’s magic.
A beautiful
lesson in film history regarding the origins of film as a popular medium and
Georges Milies was effectively woven into the story of “Hugo”. It wasn't pedantic nor did it draw
attention to itself.
“Hugo” is like a love letter, hand written on notebook paper, carefully folded, and slipped into someone’s desk
during recess. If you find it in your desk read it carefully and savor the experience.
