When I think of brilliant filmmakers, Martin Scorcese is usually right at the top of the list. Having directed such films as Taxi Driver, The Departed, and Raging Bull, Scorcese has spent decades crafting amazing experiences for his millions of fans. However, with every great director there is at least one film that just doesn't quite fit the bill. For Scorcese that film is Hugo.
There are some who have hailed the feature as another shining example of its creator's diversity. Others have proclaimed it as an Oscar shoe-in. Put quite simply, it isn't.
Highlighted by a shaky narrative, (in 3D no less) Hugo follows its title character around a train station where he runs the clocks, steals food and spare mechanical parts, and attempts to avoid the station manager. When a toy-store owner catches our lad stealing gears from his toys, he confiscates an important book and threatens to burn it. Hugo follows him home in an attempt to retrieve it, and inadvertently meets his daughter, Isabelle. The plot twists and turns from there, never really answering any questions until the last ten minutes.
I follow plotpoins well; I always have. But Hugo not only confused me; it made me angry. The storyline would appear as though it was headed in one direction, only to skew off in another without explanation as to why or how. The overall message of the story was lost in all the shuffle, especially since while Scorcese was undoubtedly attempting to showcase the beauty of simplicity, the execution was that of complex showmanship and a flagrant display of an over-used and over-hyped medium.
The dialogue was flat, the characters unimaginative and empty, and the look of the film (especially the opening sequence) appeared more like a sea of cardboard cut-outs than brilliant three-dimensional images. I am also sick to shit of filmmaker's lack of authenticity. The movie is set in Paris, so why the cast all had to brush up on their standard British dialect is beyond me.
I wish I could say the film was saved by great performances, but that is not the case. To me, the only believable character (Michael Stuhlbarg) comes in closer to the end and is on screen for a mere three minutes. Take the kids to see this if you need a night out of the house, but don't expect great things from the often-great director.
