Hugo (2011)

Release date: 2011-11-23
Country: UK|USA|France
Language: English
Director: Martin Scorsese
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, GK Films, Infinitum Nihil
Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: 7.5/10
Length: 2h 6min

Storyline

Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. He learned to fix clocks and other gadgets from his father and uncle which he puts to use keeping the train station clocks running. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his dead father is an automaton (mechanical man) that doesn't work without a special key. Hugo needs to find the key to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets George Melies, a shopkeeper, who works in the train station, and his adventure-seeking god-daughter. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and he discovers it unlocks some memories the old man has buried inside regarding his past.

Plot Keywords

railway station, boy girl relationship, film history, post world war one, orphanage, flashback, loneliness, film director, death of father, robot, library, silent movie, leg brace, uncle nephew relationship, filmmaking, clock tower, fire breathing dragon, cinema, movie projector, filmmaker

Short Review

Being a hardcore cinephile (like Scorsese) might add a layer of enjoyment, but it certainly isn't a prerequisite for walking in the door. A sense of wonder, however, is.