Hugo Review
Set in the Thirties, Hugo is centered around the life of a young orphan, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield). Hugo lives in a Paris train station and looks after the clocks there for his uncle. His life dramatically changes when he meets Isabele (Chloe Grace Moretz), and her Godfather, Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley), a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the train station. Together Hugo and Isabel work through the mystery of her Godfather’s life, which Hugo initiated by attempting to repair a mechanical man he received from his deceased father. Hugo is based on Brian Selznick’s childrens novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret! It’s a well done, amazing film, directed by Martin Scorsese.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: February 28, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8 +
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
See a clip of my review here, plus a review of THE MUPPETS!
Talking Points:
Most third or fourth grade students have read the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The kids in the theater that I interviewed liked the fact that they read the book, and then saw the movie. They also said the movie was true to the book.
Isabele, Hugo’s friend, loves to read. The two characters discuss different books they’ve read; they also frequent their local library…a good thing for young viewers to see, and expose them to great literature that’s mentioned in the film.
Spoiler: The movie is not only suspenseful, but also very interesting. It was intriguing to learn how movies were first made. Isabele’s Godfather was one of the most important pioneers of early cinema. Being the movie buff that I am, I found this to be fascinating and many kids will too.
There are good lessons throughout the film as well. Isabele and Hugo talk about their purpose in life; they say, “If you lose your purpose in life it’s like you’re broken.” Hugo was comparing humans to machines, saying that even parts of a machine have a purpose.
For the most part Hugo and Isabele are good kids, though they do some sneaky things. The two characters break into a closed movie theater, and watch a movie. Isabele was worried they’d get into trouble; Hugo replies, “That’s how you know it’s an adventure.” Hmm…this could spark a conversation of what not to do!
Sexual Content: Mild
- Couples flirt innocently, it’s very sweet.
- Sexual references; a police officer’s wife is pregnant, he’s not sure who the father is. This is mentioned several times in the film.
Violent Content: Moderate
- The train inspector is a very mean, cruel man. He abuses orphans, grabbing them off the streets and putting them in cages. He also has a viscous dog who chases the kids as well.
- Hugo lives alone in the train station. It’s a little creepy sometimes; especially when he has bad dreams. This may scare some kids.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- The guard talked forcefully to Hugo; but I don’t recall any swear words mentioned.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Hugo’s uncle is an alcoholic.
I absolutely loved this movie; having said that, it’s 2 hours and 7 minutes long; and it may be a little slow moving for kids. There are parts that may frighten young kids as well. I recommend this film for mature children ages 8 and up.
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