A story about storytelling.

The Oscar nominations came out recently and some were surprised to see that it was in fact Hugo that received the most nominations with 11 including best picture and best director. But considering just how good a film it is, I’m not surprised one bit.

Perhaps it’s less surprising when you learn Hugo’s director is none other than Martin Scorsese, who decided that with this film he would have a go at filming in 3D.

Now, I didn’t watch it in 3D, mainly because I don’t like it, but even in 2D you could tell that Hugo used 3D pretty well. It was depth 3D, not just the “oh it’s coming right at me” 3D that’s used by every other 3D movie apart from maybe Avatar.

Those who did see it in 3D informed me that it was actually very good, and they like me are 3D cynics. I still say 3D is rubbish, but it does actually look like someone has done a decent job with it for once!

As for the film itself, Hugo is a joyous little movie filled with charm and romance; it is set in Paris after all.

It follows Hugo, a young boy who loses his father and is taken on as his uncle’s apprentice at a Parisian railway station where he goes around maintaining all the clocks, even when his drunk uncle leaves.

Hugo is obsessed with finding the pieces needed to fix an automated humanoid machine his father found in the museum he worked at. So whilst maintaining all the clocks, he thieves bits and pieces along with bread to keep himself alive, all the while avoiding the station inspector, played by Sacha Baron Cohen.

The main draw for this movie is a certain amount of appreciation for the arts. Hugo is in love with movies, which his father used to take him to on a few occasions and he meets a young girl who has a profound love for literature. Throw in Christopher Lee as the strange but well-meaning bookseller and you have a film that dedicates itself to the appreciation of storytelling.

Ben Kingsley plays the former movie director, Georges Méliès, who’s fallen from stardom thanks mainly to the war and a change in the industry. In many ways his story is similar to that of George Valentin from The Artist. He really characterises the nature of the arts industry. One minute you’re loved, the next you’re a nobody. Down, out, and unappreciated, Georges’ story collides with Hugo’s and the end results are mesmerising and touching all at the same time.

I’m glad I went to see Hugo, it didn’t get a lot of publicity and in all honesty I knew very little about it walking in. That seems to be the best situation to be in, as most movies I’ve seen with little prior knowledge have left with me being thoroughly impressed (see: Drive).

The only problem with the film is that it’s supposedly aimed at kids too. Unfortunately, this film won’t keep your kids entertained for very long. It’s just the way the world is now. A lot of the children in the cinema I went to were clearly very bored after a short amount of time. It’s a two hour long movie and even though it may have kept children happy a decade ago, times have changed.

Hugo is a film very deserving of its many Oscar nominations. It should win a few too, but either way it is a film that will live long in the memory.

Final Verdict: 5 Stars. A magical and visually stunning film.