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Hugo Reviews

Befitting such an impassioned tribute to the glories of early cinema and the creators of yesteryear wonders, it is a cinematic playground of technique and color and imagination, as well as an affectionate childhood adventure.

Full Review | Oct 6, 2023

The final act of “Hugo,” which recounts Méliès’ fall from grace and culminates with the rediscovery of his work, is some of the most heartwarming material in the entire Scorsese canon.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Aug 31, 2023

Hugo is a work steeped in cinema lore, drunk on the fumes of a bygone era yet canny enough to channel its nostalgia through modern innovations.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 10, 2023

In its own way, more even than addressing Méliès’ history within a fictional story, Scorsese preserves film by delivering a picture that will not soon be forgotten.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 6, 2023

It’s an intelligent and earnest picture that earns our tears at the end through it’s genuine sincerity and tenderness.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 21, 2022

This film is the work of a genius at the top of his game that exceeds all expectations and is literally a movie for anyone with a pulse. By anyone's standards, this is quite simply one of the finest motion pictures ever made.

Full Review | Original Score: 5.5 | May 1, 2022

It might have seemed like an odd fit, but it made a certain amount of sense- even if Scorsese hadn't found a way to weave in a subplot about his favorite cause, of classic film preservation. (10th anniversary)

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Dec 1, 2021

The magical celebration of cinema that is the Oscar-winning Hugo marked a substantial departure for filmmaker Martin Scorsese.

Full Review | Nov 23, 2021

Scorsese's picture is more than a clandestine bildungsroman: it's a grandly ambitious tapestry intended to entertain, but also to dramatically underscore the always-pressing need for preservation of film history.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Sep 11, 2021

Has the ability entrance both young and old.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 2, 2021

A lengthy history lesson rather than a real adventure.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Nov 30, 2020

'Hugo' is the master's new sublime work especially intended for lovers of the seventh art who long to light the wick of the magic wand of the cinema of the past. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jun 24, 2020

"Hugo" may be the film closest to the heart of Scorsese, a dedicated cinephile and film preservationist.

Full Review | Mar 26, 2020

Hugo has plenty to indulge a silent film aficionado -- or to educate a young film buff.

Full Review | Mar 23, 2020

Overall, Hugo is like a Christmas present - the wrapping is beautiful but the present itself is a disappointment.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Dec 9, 2019

Exquisitely acted and a heretofore unequalled artistic use of 3D.

Full Review | Jul 26, 2019

Two hours of remarkable cinema that is, dare I say it, truly magical. Somehow, I think Melies would have been proud.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jun 8, 2019

I've not been a fan of 3-D films in general, but Hugo takes full advantage of the technology, creating a storybook-like world with rich layers and textures. That alone is enough to make Hugo worth seeing, but the film is much more.

Full Review | May 7, 2019

Hugo is reverent, but also joyful -- we come away from the film feeling like we're lucky to have all this in our history.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 8, 2019

It can't be counted a modern classic like so many of Scorsese's other films. But it's a charming flight of fancy, if not for children, then for their parents who are still young at heart.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 4, 2019

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Movie Review | 'Hugo'

Inventing a World, Just Like Clockwork

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By Manohla Dargis

Nov. 22, 2011

“Hugo,” an enchantment from Martin Scorsese, is the 3-D children’s movie that you might expect from the director of “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas.” It’s serious, beautiful, wise to the absurdity of life and in the embrace of a piercing longing. No one gets clubbed to death, but shadows loom, and a ferocious Doberman nearly lands in your lap. The movie is based on the book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” but is also very much an expression of the filmmaker’s movie love. Surely the name of its author, Brian Selznick, caught his eye: Mr. Selznick is related to David O. Selznick, the producer of “Gone With the Wind” — kismet for a cinematic inventor like Mr. Scorsese.

Mr. Scorsese’s fidelity to Mr. Selznick’s original story is very nearly complete, though this is also, emphatically, his own work. Gracefully adapted by John Logan, the movie involves a lonely, melancholic orphan, Hugo (Asa Butterfield), who in the early 1930s tends all the clocks in a Parisian train station. Seemingly abandoned by his uncle, the station’s official timekeeper (Ray Winstone), Hugo lives alone, deep in the station’s interior, in a dark, dusty, secret apartment that was built for employees. There, amid clocks, gears, pulleys, jars and purloined toys, he putters and sleeps and naturally dreams, mostly of fixing a delicate automaton that his dead father, a clockmaker (Jude Law), found once upon a time. The automaton is all that remains of a happy past.

Hugo has been repairing the automaton with mechanical parts salvaged from the toys he has stolen from a toy store in the station. All that he needs now to bring the windup figure to life — it sits frozen, with a pen at the ready, as if waiting for inspiration — is the key that will open its heart-shaped lock. After assorted stops and starts and quick getaways, Hugo finds the key during an adventure involving the toy-store owner and his goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz). A beloved, wanted child, she brings Hugo into her life, which is how he discovers that the cantankerous shopkeeper with the white goatee and sad, watchful eyes is Georges Méliès (a touching Ben Kingsley).

The name means nothing to Hugo and may not mean much to most contemporary viewers, but it means a great deal to this lovely movie. A magician turned moving-picture pioneer, Méliès (1861-1938) began his new career after seeing one of the first public film projections in Paris on Dec. 28, 1895. Until then, early moving pictures had been commercially exhibited on Kinetoscopes , peephole machines that enabled viewers to watch brief films, one person at a time. The image was tiny — less than two inches wide — and moving pictures didn’t become cinema as we know it until wizards like the French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière created machines like the cinématographe, which projected larger-than-life images on screens that people watched as an audience.

While the Lumières dazzled with nonfiction films that they called actualités, Méliès enthralled with fantasies and trick films like “ A Trip to the Moon ” (1902). In this comic 16-minute science-fiction masterwork, a gaggle of scientists in knee breeches fly in a rocket to the Moon, where they encounter acrobatic creatures with lobster claws amid puffs of smoke and clever cinematic sleights of hand. In the film’s most famous image , the rocket lands splat in the eye of the Man in the Moon, causing him to squeeze out a fat tear. It was perhaps a prophetic image for Méliès, who, after falling out of fashion and into obscurity, ran a toy store in the Montparnasse station in Paris, which is where he was later rediscovered.

Mr. Selznick opens and closes his book with some soft pencil drawings of Earth’s Moon, that luminous disk on which so many human fantasies (the Man in the Moon included) have been projected. In the book the Moon is something of a screen against which Méliès’s most celebrated cinematic fantasy unfolds. Mr. Scorsese doesn’t exploit this lunar metaphor (perhaps he believes the Moon belongs to Méliès), yet he locates plenty of cinematic poetry here, particularly in the clock imagery, which comes to represent moviemaking itself. The secret is in the clockwork, Hugo’s father says to him in flashback, sounding like an auteurist. Time counts in “Hugo,” yes, but what matters more is that clocks are wound and oiled so that their numerous parts work together as one.

The movie itself is a well-lubricated machine, a trick entertainment and a wind-up toy, and it springs to life instantly in a series of sweeping opening aerial shots that plunge you into the choreographed bustle of the train station. The first time you see Hugo he’s peering out from behind a large wall clock at the human comedy in the station. He’s staring through a cutout in the clock face, an aperture through which he watches several characters who play supporting roles in a spectacle that is by turns slapstick, mystery, melodrama and romance, including the menacing station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen), a friendly flower vendor (Emily Mortimer), a woman with a dachshund (Frances de la Tour) and her suitor (Richard Griffiths). When Hugo gazes at them, he’s viewer and director both.

So much happens in this initial whoosh that it feels as if you’d hitched a ride on a rocket too. After the camera divebombs through the station, it follows Hugo as he speeds down halls, a ladder, a chute, a staircase and yet more halls, bringing to mind a Busby Berkeley set and Henry Hill’s long walk into the nightclub in “Goodfellas.” The camera keeps moving, as does Hugo, who, chased by the station master and his Doberman, sprints past James Joyce and Django Reinhardt lookalikes. It’s Paris of the Modernist imagination, though really it’s movieland, where gears loom like those in “Modern Times” and a man who’s part machine oils his bits like the Tin Man (while longing for a heart).

Mr. Scorsese caps this busy introductory section with Hugo looking wistfully at the world from a window high in the station. The image mirrors a stunning shot in his film “Kundun,” in which the young, isolated Dalai Lama looks out across the city, and it also evokes Mr. Scorsese’s well-known recollections about being an asthmatic child who watched life from windows — windows that of course put a frame around the world. This is a story shared by all children, who begin as observers and turn (if all goes well) into participants. But “Hugo” is specifically about those observers of life who, perhaps out of loneliness and with desire, explore reality through its moving images, which is why it’s also about the creation of a cinematic imagination — Hugo’s, Méliès’s, Mr. Scorsese’s, ours.

“Hugo” is the tale of a boy, one of fiction’s sentimental orphans, and the world he invents, yet, unsurprisingly, its most heartfelt passages are about Méliès. The old filmmaker is as broken and in need of revival as the automaton, and while you can guess what happens, it’s the getting there — how the clock is wound — that surprises and often delights. Waves of melancholy wash over the story and keep the treacle at bay, as do the spasms of broad comedy, much of it nimbly executed by Mr. Baron Cohen. There is something poignant and paradoxical about Mr. Scorsese’s honoring a film pioneer in digital (and in 3-D, no less), yet these moving pictures belong to the same land of dreams that Méliès once explored, left for a time and entered once again through the love of the audience.

“Hugo” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). The death of a parent, some child peril and a fierce dog.

Opens on Wednesday nationwide.

Directed by Martin Scorsese; written by John Logan, based on the novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” by Brian Selznick; director of photography, Robert Richardson; edited by Thelma Schoonmaker; music by Howard Shore; production design by Dante Ferretti; costumes by Sandy Powell; visual effects supervisor, Rob Legato; produced by Graham King, Tim Headington, Mr. Scorsese and Johnny Depp; released by Paramount Pictures. Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes.

WITH: Ben Kingsley (Pappa Georges/Georges Méliès), Sacha Baron Cohen (Station Inspector), Asa Butterfield (Hugo Cabret), Chloë Grace Moretz (Isabelle), Ray Winstone (Uncle Claude), Emily Mortimer (Lisette), Helen McCrory (Mama Jeanne), Christopher Lee (Monsieur Labisse), Michael Stuhlbarg (René Tabard), Frances de la Tour (Madame Emilie), Richard Griffiths (Monsieur Frick) and Jude Law (Hugo’s Father).

A film review on Wednesday about “Hugo,” the new Martin Scorsese movie, misstated its rating in some copies. It is PG (parental guidance suggested), not PG-13 (parents strongly cautioned). And a listing of credits with the review misstated the film’s running time. It is 2 hours 6 minutes, not 2 hours 30 minutes.

How we handle corrections

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Hugo – review

Martin Scorsese’s family friendly fantasy is a cinephile’s delight: a beautifully designed homage to the power of the first film-makers

"I would recognise the sound of a movie projector anywhere!" says one of cinema's greatest pioneers, hearing that mechanical, sprockety whirr. It's a climactic moment in Martin Scorsese's new film: a family fantasy adventure in 3D which turns out to be a hi-tech magic lantern presentation on the wonder of early cinema, and its origins in the world of clockwork craftsmanship: toys, games, illusions.

Hugo is pitched as much to cinephile adults as children, and insists, in a fervent if rather pedagogic way, on that magical quality of cinema which children and grownups generally feel without needing to be told. This is a spectacular and gorgeously created film, with allusions to Harold Lloyd and Fritz Lang, and it's an almost overwhelming assault on the senses from the very first shot: a vision of post-first-world-war Paris which sees the city as one gigantic clockwork contrivance. We are then treated to a terrific camera move, whooshing into a crowded railway station where the action is to commence, and where the audience will feel like rubbernecking in awe at a cathedral of digital detail. Here is where a young boy called Hugo (Asa Butterfield) hides in the station's secret passages and recesses, winding all the station clocks himself: supposedly the job of his drunkard uncle and guardian (Ray Winstone), who has long since vanished.

Hugo has more secrets: he is trying to repair and restore a remarkable automaton which had come into the possession of his late father (Jude Law), a kindly watchmaker. But without Hugo quite realising it, this robot hides within its workings the secret of the 20th century's great new art form. Young Hugo is to come into contact with Isabelle (Chloë Moretz) and her formidable old grandpa, who runs a toy stall on the station platform: he is, in fact, M Georges Méliès, the great film-maker and innovator, now fallen on hard times. Ben Kingsley plays Méliès, and gives him the melancholy air of a deposed and exiled king, or at any rate someone who has been marginalised by great historical forces which he himself has brought into being: a little like Robert Donat's William Friese-Greene, the British cinema pioneer, in John Boulting's 1951 film The Magic Box. The illustrated novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, on which this movie is based, was inspired by the nonfiction study Edison's Eve, by British author Gaby Wood, which discussed Méliès's lost collection of automata.

The movie's opening act makes it actually look more like Spielberg than Scorsese, especially in the appearance of the villain, the station inspector, played by Sacha Baron Cohen , as a moustachioed martinet and stickler for station rules who vows to track down that little urchin Hugo. The inspector has, crucially, a sinister distinguishing feature: a metal clasp around his leg where he was injured in the Great War. Homing in on that feature looks like a Spielbergian tic – but then it becomes something else, a poignant mark of vulnerability and humanity, especially as this mechanism becomes positive, associated with the creativity and ingenuity of Hugo's robot and Méliès's secret career.

The quietly spoken, self-possessed old man reveals himself to be a great imaginative artist, and creator of the legendary adventure A Trip to the Moon. He was first a magician, and early adopter of the cinematograph when he saw the Lumière brothers' legendary 50-second film showing the arrival of a train at Ciotat station. (Here, incidentally, the film playfully repeats the apocryphal story of the audience fleeing from the train in panic. Scorsese's use of 3D for this movie is a clue that he is well aware of film historians' consensus that this tale is likely to have grown from the audience gasping and jumping when the Ciotat film was re-shown in the 1930s in stereoscopic 3D.)

It is when Isabelle and Hugo discover that the point of the story is the movies themselves that this film becomes at once so much more, and yet ever so slightly less, than a story about a homeless frightened boy and the mysterious toy robot which is all that he has left of his dad. Discovering and repairing old automata becomes a fable for film restoration and film history (of course, a great passion of Scorsese's), and the tensions between everyone involved are dissolved in universal reverence for this historical rediscovery of Méliès's genius. And of course, no red-blooded cinema lover could fail to sigh happily at these events, but this is in some ways an earnest and temperamentally conservative film, and I sometimes got the strange feeling that it was something that a really nice teacher might show in the runup to the Christmas holidays.

For all that, it's a deeply felt piece of work, something which only Scorsese could have brought to the screen, which finds a key point when Hugo must use a heart-shaped key to operate his automaton. The heart – that mediator between the head and the hands – is an image which points to the movies as a ghost in the machine: the technology, mass-production and grinding commerce which exploded in the 20th century would also facilitate the growth and vitality of the cinema itself.

Martin Scorsese
Sacha Baron Cohen
Family films
Action and adventure films
Science fiction and fantasy films

More on this story

Martin scorsese on hugo: 'i've always been obsessed with 3d' - video.

Chloë Moretz: 'I'm not cussing and killing people – I'm normal'

The Guardian Film Show Film Weekly podcast: Sir Ben Kingsley on Martin Scorsese's Hugo - audio

Hugo picks up best film and earns Martin Scorsese director of the year

Martin Scorsese considers shooting all his future films in 3D

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'Hugo': From A Master, A Love Letter To His Medium

Andrew Lapin

Gearhead: Orphan Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives and breathes machines, servicing the train-station tower clock by day and sleeping in it by night. Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures hide caption

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Running Time: 127 minutes

Rated PG; for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking

With: Jude Law, Asa Butterfield, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Lee

(Recommended)

Watch Clips

'One Big Machine'

Credit: Paramount Pictures

'Can We Fix Him?'

'Someone Is In Trouble'

He peers out from behind windows and clock faces, frames through which his sad eyes light on every detail of the train station that's his home: dogs and humans in courtship rituals, flurries of snow and ash, giant whirling contraptions and their individual parts. Hugo (the boy) is an observer of the world's wonders. There is much to observe, for Hugo (the film) is a marvel of spectacle, a sensory feast steeped in cinematic lore that proves pure joy is attainable in three dimensions. Martin Scorsese, a director who has risen to living-legend status primarily via gory crime sagas, here makes the endearing confession that he, too, was once a shy kid awestruck by the idea of images flickering on a screen. The film is based on a heavily illustrated 2007 novel by Brian Selznick that has proved enormously popular with children despite primarily revolving around a 19th century French filmmaker — as sure a sign as any that movies are not dead to future generations. The orphaned protagonist (Asa Butterfield) is a determined scavenger who spends his days manning (and his nights sleeping in) the clock in a bustling 1931 Paris terminus, one of those movie settings where the inhabitants have their own mini-adventures in the margins. Hugo's efforts to fix a broken automaton lead him to the cute, ebullient Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) and curmudgeonly toy-shop proprietor Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley). Turns out that Hugo has actually stumbled across the Georges Melies, real-life magician and director of A Trip To The Moon — the one where the rocket plunges into the Man in the Moon's eye — along with over 500 other films from cinema's earliest days. Here's where the story, to its own detriment, shifts from hero's journey to hero-worship, and the question of the moment becomes, "Will Melies get the respect that's coming to him?"

Yet magic still persists: As Hugo and Isabelle dig deeper into the past, they find their own fates intertwined with that of Melies's films, and that flickering screen becomes a portal in the dark, illuminating everyone's hopes and dreams.

With his companion Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), Hugo hopes to finish rebuilding an automaton his father had once dreamed of restoring. Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures hide caption

With his companion Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), Hugo hopes to finish rebuilding an automaton his father had once dreamed of restoring.

The train station, though a wondrous plaything, renders itself claustrophobic over two hours, and we relish the few scenes that venture outside its walls. But even in these cramped confines, Hugo dangles from a clock, a la Harold Lloyd, and stares down a train that seems to leap at him straight from the minds of the Lumiere brothers (who have minor roles as well). It's pure cinephile candy. As befitting both its fetishistically detailed source material and the era in which it's set, Hugo is Scorsese's most visually accomplished film. He and cinematographer Robert Richardson exploit the possibilities of depth in every frame, from the cavernous Fritz Langian inner workings of the station clock to the brim of Sacha Baron Cohen's inspector cap as he leans way into the camera to snarl.

Some sequences show signs of that old Melies magic, deliberately distorting reality as kids climb station rafters at impossible heights and loose papers animate themselves as they billow through the air. When 3-D works, it really works: To see Hugo in two dimensions is to take a pass on substantial splendor. But the best trick the filmmakers pull off is the one that's hardest to see coming: By restaging some of movie history's most pioneering works in 3-D — by approximating the vastness of space in A Trip To The Moon and flinging trains at cameras 116 years after the Lumieres — Scorsese has made these crusty college-circuit prints new again.

And what's more, he's made them new to the most important audience: children. (Recommended)

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Spectacular book adaptation is great for tweens and up.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Kids will learn about the history of film, silent

Emphasizes the importance of films and how magical

Hugo and Isabelle are curious, courageous kids who

Hugo's father is killed in a fire. The station

Two different sets of adults flirt with each other

Insults like "idiot," "no-good thie

Uncle Claude drinks out of a flask and is obviousl

Educational Value

Kids will learn about the history of film, silent movies, and real-life French director Georges Melies, who made hundreds of the earliest short films in movie history.

Positive Messages

Emphasizes the importance of films and how magical movies can be for their audience. Hugo's relentless faith in his father, in his mission to fix the broken, ends up being a metaphor for healing Melies' broken heart. Hugo and Isabelle discuss how everyone -- every thing -- has a purpose, and you just have to find out what it is for that purpose to be met.

Positive Role Models

Hugo and Isabelle are curious, courageous kids who overcome their fears to discover the truth. Their perseverance, even in the face of danger, sets an example for adolescents to follow their passion, seek the truth, and help fix what's broken in the world.

Violence & Scariness

Hugo's father is killed in a fire. The station inspector sics his Doberman on unaccompanied kids and then brusquely throws them into the station jail before transferring them to an orphanage. In a nightmare, Hugo dreams that he's about to be run over by a train and then that he transforms into the automaton.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Two different sets of adults flirt with each other and are shown walking hand and hand. Married Papa Georges recalls his love of Mama Jeanne, and the two embrace and kiss. Hugo and Isabel hold hands, and she kisses him on the cheek in one scene. The station inspector has humorous conversations with the policeman about marriage, infidelity, and a baby's parentage of a baby. The station inspector asks the policeman if he has "had relations" with his wife in the past year.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Insults like "idiot," "no-good thief," "liar," and "drunk."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Uncle Claude drinks out of a flask and is obviously drunk. The inspector calls him a host of synonyms for "inebriated." People are shown with wine glasses at the train station cafe.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that although Hugo is a book-based period adventure about the art and magic of movies that may be a tad too mature for younger elementary school-aged kids. Between the orphaned main character (whose father dies in a fire), the looming threat of being sent to the orphanage by the mean station manager, and an extended sequence about the history of early film, it's unlikely that kids under 8 will follow the sophisticated story. Since author Brian Selznick's novel is aimed at middle-grade readers, that's a good age to target for the movie, too. Kids who do watch will take away worthwhile messages about perseverance and overcoming fears, and budding filmmakers will especially delight in the movie's second half. Expect a little bit of flirting and hand-holding, a few insults, and one drunk (adult) character. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

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Based on 52 parent reviews

Automaton review

Clean, great plot and perfect for family movie night you will enjoy, what's the story.

In this 1930s-set adaptation of Brian Selznick's Caldecott-winning novel , 12-year-old HUGO ( Asa Butterfield ) is an orphan who lives in a Paris train station. His prized possession is an automaton (mechanical man) that his late father rescued from museum archives before his death. Hugo steals from the various shops at the train station to get by, but when he attempts to swipe a wind-up mouse from eccentric toy seller Georges ( Ben Kingsley ), he embarks on an adventure that leads him to uncover exactly what the automaton is and why it's important. "Papa" Georges' orphaned goddaughter, Isabelle ( Chloë Grace Moretz ), befriends the mysterious Hugo, and the two explore the train station and Paris at large while evading the station inspector ( Sacha Baron Cohen ), who's notorious for sending unaccompanied kids to the orphanage.

Is It Any Good?

It might have seemed impossible, but Scorsese has proved that he can pull a Spielberg and create a magical movie -- about the magic of movies -- for all. Martin Scorsese isn't the kind of director you'd expect to make a spectacular film for families. He is, after all, the auteur behind such mobster dramas as Goodfellas , Casino , and The Departed . But by selecting Selznick's genre-defying illustrated novel as his subject, Scorsese is able to tackle one of his personal passions -- the history of early film and a very real director named Georges Melies. Once Hugo discovers that Papa Georges is actually the long retired-but-not-forgotten prewar director, the story transforms into a visual love letter to the pioneers of film history, as viewed from the perspective of a young movie fan.

Butterfield is simply amazing. With eyes that evoke every emotion from awe to horror, the young English actor is a revelation, as is his on-screen connection to Moretz, one of America's best teenage actresses, and Kingsley, one of the best actors, period. Cohen provides much-needed comic relief with his manic portrayal of the crippled station inspector, who's also a lonely war veteran; and as film historian Rene Tabard, Michael Stuhlbarg is a stand-in for Scorsese and any serious film lover. The 3-D in Hugo is dazzling and the set pieces as visually appealing as an actual walk through Paris.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Hugo 's message about the art of filmmaking. Are movies as transformational as Melies claims? What is the role of movies -- to entertain, to educate, to provide meaning? Do all movies fulfill that role or only some?

The movie says Hugo was looking for a message from his father but ended up on a journey "home." What does that mean? How is Hugo responsible for everything that transpires?

Fans of the book: How is the movie different than the story? What characters or scenes didn't make it into the adaptation? What did the filmmaker add that you liked? Why are changes sometimes made when books are adapted for the big screen?

How do the characters in Hugo demonstrate curiosity , courage , and perseverance ? Why are those important character strengths ?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 23, 2011
On DVD or streaming : February 28, 2012
Cast : Asa Butterfield , Chloe Grace Moretz , Christopher Lee
Director : Martin Scorsese
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Paramount Pictures
Genre : Family and Kids
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Book Characters
Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity , Perseverance
Run time : 127 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking
Last updated : January 20, 2024

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Hugo Review

Scorsese's love letter to cinema..

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Screen Rant

'hugo' review, scorsese's ode to the medium he loves so dearly will still be as poignant, rich and vital so long as film itself remains so..

Hugo is most definitely a Martin Scorsese film, and one of the better ones at that. But more than anything else, Hugo is a movie about the love of movies, crafted by a man who truly loves moviemaking, and meant for those who in turn love the art, spectacle, imagination, and soul-stirring joy of cinema.

In short: Hugo is another Martin Scorsese masterpiece.

The film has been sold as a "family-friendly adventure" full of whimsy and spectacle, and for the first act of Hugo's two-hour runtime, this is absolutely true. The story opens on 1930s Paris, where we meet young Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), the orphaned son of a clock maker, living in the walls of a train station where he fixes and maintains the many clocks that need attendance. Hugo's father perished in a fire, leaving behind the mystery of a strange automaton that Hugo obsessively tries to fix, as was his father's wish. The boy's unfaltering quest brings him into contact with many colorful characters around the station, including the orphan-hunting inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen), a curmudgeonly old toy maker (Ben Kingsley), and eventually the toy maker's bookworm goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). However, the quest to fix the automaton is only the first piece in a much larger mystery - one that involves a long-lost filmmaker, and a convergence of lives and destinies that will bring together all those who encounter young Hugo Cabret.

As stated, Hugo may at first seem like it is simply 'Martin Scorsese making a 3D kids movie,' but once the automaton is completed and the larger mystery revealed, it quickly becomes apparent what drew Scorsese to this film (based on the 2007 historical fiction book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick). But Hugo is not a kid's film. Hugo is not even really a film for mainstream audiences. Hugo is, in large part, a celebration of the early era of cinema, centered around real-life pioneer filmmaker, Georges Méliés. It is this unabashed joy and celebration of movie magic that elevates Hugo as one of Scorsese's most lovingly-crafted and imaginative films. It is also what will make Hugo a bit too heady and artistic for those hoping for a more mainstream adventure.

Screenwriter John Logan ( Gladiator , The Last Samurai ) skillfully adapts Selznick's novel into a film that works on a multitude of levels, offering one of the richest, most rewarding cinematic experiences I've had in a while. There is something for everyone to grasp onto and be moved by in this film - be it the idea of adventure and destiny (kids); the exploration of that in life which "breaks" us, and in turn, "fixes" us again (adults); or simply the meditation on what makes movies truly wondrous and transcendent (cinephilles). It's all there in the story of Hugo's journey - a journey that the script steers the viewer through with careful control and near perfect synergy of its respective parts.

The genius of what Scorsese has done, from a directing standpoint, is to craft a love letter to cinema's past in the form of cinema's present (and arguably its future): digital 3D. Hugo is the most accomplished and worthwhile 3D film I have seen - and yes, that includes James Cameron's Avatar , the film which resurrected the 3D trend. Where Cameron used 3D as a highly effective and captivating tool of spectacle, Scorsese is the one who as officially elevated the technique to the level of high art.

From the onset, it is clear (in the choices of scene construction, set pieces, and photography) that Hugo is the work of a master filmmaker embracing a modern trend in filmmaking. Instead of using 3D as a gimmick, or even an augmentation of his already considerable skills, Scorsese boldly explores the new and unique filming possibilities offered by the medium. At times this movie is simply beautiful to behold (early scenes in the train station come to mind), while at other times, the filming choices Scorsese makes are stimulating and provocative in their originality and creativity (later scenes set during the early days of silent filmmaking are, ironically, some of the best modern 3D scenes ever shot).

In short: with Hugo , Scorsese single-handedly makes a case for why 3D is worthy of living beyond the lifespan of a trend, as well as setting a new bar for what filmmakers should endeavor to accomplish with the format.

Of course, no movie would hold itself upright without a cast of talented performers to bring it to life. Scorsese's name clearly commands a high level of respect in the industry, as even the smallest roles in Hugo are populated by some accomplished acting talent. There are appearances by Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg - all of whom are bit players in this film, but manage to create vivid and lively characters, no matter how small their role. Every person we meet is an important cog in the narrative machine.

The central adult characters are also wonderfully realized, with Helen McCrory ( Harry Potter ) delivering great understated pain and longing as the toy maker's loving wife; Ben Kingsley once again proving why he is one of the best actors there is, putting on a full display of emotion and complexity as the toy maker with a mysterious past; and even Sacha Baron Cohen showing that his comedic identities as Borat or Bruno are but exaggerated expressions of his true acting talents. Cohen's arc as the station inspector is one of the more subtle (yet moving) performances - one that starts off seemingly one-note (comedic relief), but comes to a resounding finish that is in perfect fit with the many layered themes of the story.

As for the young leads: Chloe Moretz is already an established star, having broken in stardom via films like (500) Days of Summer , Kick-Ass , and her leading role as a savage vampire in Let Me In . As the precocious Isabelle, she is a perfect foil for Hugo - and though she is more reserved than usual in this film, the scenes of her and Butterfield going through the slightly awkward motions of boy/girl politics makes for some of the movie's most endearing moments. Like Hugo, Isabelle is also an orphan, and the movie lightly touches on some serious subjects like death and loss, which Moretz is deftly able to deliver in a mature-but-not-too-heavy manner.

It seems safe to say that Asa Butterfield ( Son of Rambow ) has achieved a breakout success playing the titular Hugo. The opening of this film is an ode to the old silent movies it celebrates, and involves Butterfield onscreen for a good ten minutes without uttering a single word. Even without the crutch of dialogue to lean on, Butterfield manages to instantly establish Hugo's presence and character, through skilled expressiveness and body language that most adult actors might struggle with. Later on, when he's required to carry scenes of powerful emotionality, Butterfield again rises to the task set before him, making some of the story's heavier themes and moments truly great and moving. Definitely a young star in the making.

Aside from its gorgeous 3D imagery, Hugo is not a film that bends to the tastes and trends of the times. The film sets its own pace and takes its sweet time building its story arc, subplots, character developments and themes - unafraid of catering to shallow desires for speedy payoff or empty spectacle. While that slower pace, and the sudden change of focus in the second act, may disappoint those who have been lured by the film's '3D kids movie' marketing (or even bore kids too young to understand the headier themes), there is no doubt that this is a film whose achievements will last well beyond the now. Indeed, Scorsese's ode to the medium he loves so dearly will still be as poignant, rich and vital so long as film itself remains so.

Heck, by the time this movie hits home video, I may have to go out and buy a 3D TV, just to be able to recapture the full experience of seeing it. One of the year's best films, in my opinion.

Hugo is now playing in theaters everywhere. Check out the trailer for the film, and rate it for yourself in our poll below:

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DVD & Streaming
Action/Adventure , Drama , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

November 23, 2011
Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret; Ben Kingsley as Papa Georges Méliès; Chloë Grace Moretz as Isabelle; Jude Law as Hugo's Father; Helen McCrory as Mama Jeanne; Sacha Baron Cohen as Station Inspector Gustav; Ray Winstone as Uncle Claude; Emily Mortimer as Lisette

Home Release Date

February 28, 2012
Martin Scorsese

Distributor

Paramount Pictures

Movie Review

Hugo Cabret lives in a secret world. It’s a dank world of gears and steam and coal and levers and shadowy passageways that few even know exist. And he lives there alone … except for the fact that he’s actually never alone. That’s because this young orphan’s home is the most unlikely of places: deep in the heart of Paris’ bustling train station in the 1930s.

It wasn’t always that way, of course. Once upon a time, Hugo enjoyed the loving care of his attentive father, a clockmaker and museum curator. But when his dad is killed in an explosive accident, all the love and security the boy has ever known goes up in flames. Taken in and then quickly abandoned by his dissolute Uncle Claude (the caretaker of all the clocks in the depot), Hugo now tends to winding the station’s clocks while peering longingly through their faces at the bustling world beyond.

It would be a hopeless existence but for one important legacy his father left behind—an impossibly intricate, robot-like automaton salvaged from a museum. Wind it up, put an ink pen in its hand, and it’ll write … something. Hugo’s convinced that the automaton might, somehow, give him a message from his father. A message of hope that would help him make sense of his solitary existence.

Except that the automaton is broken. So when he’s not winding clocks and cribbing croissants to survive, Hugo steals toys from a shop in the train station and uses their gears to try to restore the automaton to “life.”

Soon the old shop owner is onto him, though, catching him red-handed. And that’s not the end of Hugo’s troubles: A station inspector named Gustav is determined to sic his Doberman pinscher Maximilian on every thieving, parentless urchin he can sniff out, then ship them off to an orphanage.

But Hugo finds an ally in the shop owner’s goddaughter, Isabelle, a wide-eyed, wonder-filled girl longing for an adventure like the ones she’s read about her whole life. And as Hugo and Isabelle piece together the mystery of the broken automaton, they stumble into an adventure that will unlock a closely guarded secret … and bring renewed hope and meaning to more people than just Hugo.

Positive Elements

Hugo revolves around overlapping themes related to the importance of friendship and family, purpose and imagination. When we first meet our young protagonist, he’s clearly resourceful and resilient, driven by his desire to restore his father’s automaton. But as Hugo secretly watches people in the station who are engaged in relationships—an old man courts an old woman with a particularly feisty dachshund, for instance—it’s equally clear how desperately in need of relationship Hugo is, no matter how determined and self-reliant he may be.

Relationship does come to Hugo, showing up first in the form of Isabelle, who becomes his fast friend and partner in adventure. And their childish affection is both sweet and necessary to both of them. (They hold hands after a traumatic event, and Isabelle gives Hugo a quick kiss on the cheek.) Next in line are Isabelle’s godparents, shop owner Papa Georges and his wife, Mama Jeanne. Papa Georges is a taciturn old man, but one with a spark of kindness buried below the surface. Instead of turning Hugo in after he catches him stealing, for instance, Papa Georges allows him to work at his shop to repay the debt.

Without giving away too much, Hugo’s quest to restore his automaton increasingly dovetails with a plotline about why Papa Georges has become so bitter. And Hugo’s efforts prove key to redeeming the older man’s sense of purpose and dignity.

Speaking of purpose, Hugo longs for that elusive quality as well. He intuitively senses his purpose probably relates to fixing broking things (“Broken machines make me sad,” he tells Isabelle). But he still wonders about his larger place in the world. He reasons that machines never have extra parts, that every part is necessary and purposeful. Extrapolating logically from that, he says, “I couldn’t be an extra part. I have to be here for some reason.” Though Hugo’s logic never wanders explicitly into theological territory, the point he makes does beg important questions about why we’re here and what one’s individual purpose might be. It also begs the question of our relationship with God.

Hugo fondly reminisces about how much his father enjoyed taking him to movies; his dad strongly felt that movies could inspire imagination and bigger dreams. As Hugo progresses, it increasingly pays homage to the imagination of early moviemakers and the ways they sought to capture elaborate visual exploits and special effects on film. But beyond that very Hollywood-serving sentiment, it’s also very clear here that good, gentle, engaged fathers are ultimately important to a child’s healthy development.

Station inspector Gustav, for his part, is conscientious to the point of being cruel when it comes to delivering orphans to the orphanages. But there’s more to his story: We finally learn that he himself was an orphan, and that his stint in an orphanage was what gave him a sense of purpose and direction in life.

We also watch as Gustav falls in love with a flower seller named Lisette and tries to work up the courage to talk with her. To do so he must overcome his self-consciousness about the partially crippling injury he sustained in World War I.

Spiritual Elements

A crucifix is briefly visible in Papa Georges and Mama Jeanne’s home. Hugo follows Papa Georges through rows of ominous-looking statues that appear to be hooded monks.

A montage of vintage Hollywood films contain images of mythological and fantastical creatures such as Greek gods, mermaids, fairies, dragons, etc. Similar images can be seen in a number of hand-drawn pictures that spill forth from Papa Georges’ armoire. Brief passing reference is made to ghosts.

Sexual Content

Gustav has two short conversations with a fellow police officer about the man’s pregnant wife—specifically, who the father of the unborn child is. In one of those conversations, Gustav asks the man if he’s had “relations” with his wife in the last year. The answer is no, and Gustav concludes that the pregnancy is “suspicious.”

An awkward conversation between Gustav and Lisette involves him commenting on a cow’s “perfectly formed udders” while looking longingly at her. And after getting a new mechanical leg brace, Gustav says suggestively to Lisette, “I’m now a fully functioning man, aren’t I, dear?”

Costumes worn by women in the vintage films reveal a bit of cleavage.

Violent Content

Police find a dead man by the Seine. A fiery explosion erupts through a door, and we soon learn that it killed Hugo’s father. Twice Hugo finds himself on a train track with a fast-approaching train bearing down on him. In one case the train derails, ripping through the crowded station as folks jump out of the way. It plunges out a window to the ground below.

Hugo leads Gustav and his trusty canine, Maximilian, on two raucous, disruptive chases through the station, pursuits that often involve people being shoved out of the way. Gustav’s leg brace accidentally gets hitched to a train, dragging him along the ground with one leg in the air until he bangs unceremoniously into stacked luggage on the platform.

The old films contain mock violence, including warriors using spears to attack a huge, fire-breathing dragon prop. Several of the reels include pyrotechnics.

Crude or Profane Language

No profanities or vulgarities. Gustav calls Uncle Claude an “oaf” and a “bloated buffoon.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Uncle Claude is obviously a drunk, and we see him knocking back the contents of a flask. People drink wine in cafés and at a party. There are a handful of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them shots of characters smoking.

Other Negative Elements

Hugo repeatedly steals food (croissants, milk) to sustain himself; the film depicts this habit more as a necessity for survival than as evidence of a deficient character. The boy also pilfers toys from Papa Georges, thefts driven by his desire to obtain gears from them to repair the automaton. (Eventually, of course, Papa Georges catches him.)

Isabelle lies to Gustav about Hugo’s identity, saying he’s a country cousin. When Hugo picks the lock of a theater’s back door so he and Isabelle can sneak in and watch a movie, she says, “We could get into trouble.” Hugo replies, “That’s how you know it’s an adventure.” (The theater’s proprietor soon notices them, saying, “How did you rats get in here?” before tossing them out and warning them not to come back.)

Martin Scorsese has directed more than 50 films to date, including some of the most critically acclaimed releases in Hollywood history. The American Film Institute’s list of the Top 100 films of all time, in fact, includes no fewer than three of his movies ( Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas ). In 2007, Scorsese took home a Best Director Oscar for The Departed , a film that also won Best Picture.

Astute film fans, however, will also note that the majority of Scorsese’s efforts—including all of those listed above, as well as the relatively recent Shutter Island and Gangs of New York —have been rated R for violence, obscenities and nudity. Which means that while this famed director’s efforts have often been critical darlings, they’ve been inaccessible to family audiences.

So what happens when a guy whose storytelling style is practically synonymous with gritty content decides to make a movie based on a popular children’s story (Brian Selznick’s 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret )? Well. What happens is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Hugo is one of those rare films that works on practically every level … for practically every audience. Visually, Scorsese’s first foray into 3-D filmmaking is a sumptuous masterpiece. His rendering of Paris, of Hugo’s essentially subterranean environs and of his characters’ expressions make this film a case study in cinematic excellence.

Longtime movie critic Roger Ebert writes, “ Hugo is unlike any other film Martin Scorsese has ever made, and yet possibly the closest to his heart: a big-budget, family epic in 3-D, and in some ways, a mirror of his own life. We feel a great artist has been given command of the tools and resources he needs to make a movie about—movies.”

Better yet, those tools and resources stand in the service of a story that’s equal parts endearing and inspiring. Friendship and family, perseverance and hope all take center stage in this touching tale. It’s delightfully sentimental stuff without ever feeling cloying.

I’ll ask again, What happens when Martin Scorsese sets out to make something … completely different? Hugo feels like a throwback to many of the beloved films of yesteryear. And at the same time, it serves as a powerful reminder that there are filmmakers in Hollywood who have the capacity to tell a spellbinding story without indulging in R-rated excess or crassly capitulating to commercialism.

They just have to choose to do so.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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Movie Review: Hugo (2011)

Mariusz Zubrowski
Movie Reviews
6 responses
--> November 24, 2011

There’s a lot of hoopla surrounding Martin Scorsese’s latest, Hugo , which is the director’s introduction to family films, and the only one to utilize 3D technology. Not run-of-the-mill praise, I’ve heard phrases like “timeless,” “a masterpiece,” and “one of the best movies about filmmaking ever made,” being thrown about. And because I have no life outside reviewing movies, I decided to check it out. But unlike my peers, fellow critics, and even Avatar mastermind James Cameron, I wasn’t impressed with this “love letter to cinema.”

Based on “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” a novel written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, the film follows its titular protagonist (Asa Butterfield), who, after the death of his father (Jude Law), is orphaned, and lives in the walls of a bustling train station overlooked by an overzealous patrol (Sacha Baron Cohen). Hoping to uncover a message from his late dad, Hugo attempts to fix an automaton they found together by stealing parts from a toy store run by a reserved and mysterious old man (Sir Ben Kingsley). During his adventures, he befriends Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl raised by the same shopkeeper, who holds the key to activating the robot (literally), thus uncovering a dark secret involving an idiosyncratic filmmaker named Georges Méliès — commonly referred to as the first ever “Cinemagician.”

There are positives, and among them are the beautiful visuals. The 1930s Parisian environments looks fantastic, with every environment fleshed out with intricate details and a mystical allure, as each corridor, air duct, and hole in the wall leads to someplace fantastical — creating a distinct dreamlike atmosphere. The train station, where a lot of Hugo is set, has a childlike innocence to it. Also awe-inspiring is the reconstruction of Méliès’ glasshouse studio. The soundtrack adds to this European flair, and sometimes feels as if it best be enjoyed sitting in a smoky French café, whilst munching on a warm pastry, taking elegant puffs of a hand rolled cigarette, and reading Enlightenment-era literature.

But the story builds up to a certain point, and then takes a completely different turn. Most of the movie follows Hugo, who runs around pilfering bread, and trying to fix up his humanoid rust bucket, but once it’s up-and-running, putting to use a programmed talent at sketching and revealing a web of lost dreams, Scorsese starts exploring Méliès, namely by pummeling his audience with stock clips of his works. Quite frankly, the two storylines don’t complement each other (although they both operate on a running comparison between humans who’ve lost their purpose and broken machines, which also have been denied their life’s work).

Scorsese had his heart in the right place. He attempts to remind modern audiences, who may or may not have been exposed to the films of yesteryear, how inventive and ahead-of-their-time they were, but instead of crafting a picture to showcase his deep appreciation for olden cinema, I couldn’t shake the feeling that, in a way, he was also celebrating himself — as if audiences should bow before him for even tackling such subject matter. There’s a self-congratulatory reverence that the director lavishes in, creating a distinct pretentiousness, especially in monologues explaining Méliès’ importance, which have a scholarly brashness to them. And how many times can one directly mention, or even recreate, The Lumière Brothers’ proto-film Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat , before it becomes a pompous reference for only snobs to appreciate?

Adding to a long list of fatal misfires is the stiff acting. It’s a shame considering Kingsley, who has always been an incredible, albeit overlooked, thespian, delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. What fascinates me about him is how he can portray coldness and then transition to sheer happiness, and still make it look natural. The same can’t be said of the rest of the cast, who struggle expressing one emotion. And while Butterfield and Moretz aren’t the most annoying child actors, they do lack even chemistry for their simplistic friendship to not feel contrived. Cohen, however, has to be the most distracting. The dreadful accent and cheap slapstick that accompanies his character make it no wonder why Lisette (played by a warm Emily Mortimer), the station’s flower girl, is mostly disinterested in him.

Who should see Hugo ? I’m not sure, because if I, a self-proclaimed cinephile, wasn’t too amused, I can’t see how someone less versed in film history could be any more entertained by this foul ode to movies.

Eventually I'll put something nifty here. Until then, know that I'm watching you. Closely.

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'Movie Review: Hugo (2011)' have 6 comments

November 24, 2011 @ 9:36 pm Dean

You stand alone Mariusz – seems every critic on Earth is giving Hugo high praise but you..

November 24, 2011 @ 10:39 pm Zalyan

There’s a reason people are calling Hugo a masterpiece – it’s because it is a masterpiece. I think you were looking for something to turn you off from this, try watching it again without any preconceptions.

November 25, 2011 @ 1:58 am Fargo

Some of the praise this is getting is a bit overdone, but it is a really good movie.

November 25, 2011 @ 9:35 am Barry

“There’s a self-congratulatory reverence that the director lavishes in.”

I didn’t see it even though I for one believe Scorsese has earned the right to do so if he wishes to.

November 25, 2011 @ 12:30 pm Griff

The best use of 3-D technology in a movie. Ever. It is thoroughly enveloping without the use of gimmicks or the forced ‘in your face’ stabs like every other attempt to date. Directors, this is the way it is supposed to be done.

November 25, 2011 @ 5:18 pm Stoloman

Hugo is a truly moving cinematic experience. Mariusz I think you can’t see the forest for the trees.

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In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
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 a mechanical man that doesn't work. Hugo needs to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets a shopkeeper who works in the train station and his adventure-seeking goddaughter Isabelle. Hugo and Isabelle try to unlock the old man's memories. — napierslogs
Hugo is an orphan who lives in a Paris railway station, tending to the station clocks during his uncle's mysterious absence. He scrounges food from the vendors and steals mechanical parts. Hugo's father was a watchmaker, and Hugo inherited his father's talent for all things mechanical. Years before, Hugo's father found an intricate mechanical man, but they could never figure out how it worked. Hugo befriends Isabelle, and together they have an adventure. — garykmcd
Hiding within the walls and shadows of a busy railway station in 1930s Paris, orphaned 12-year-old genius Hugo lives a mysterious life maintaining the cavernous station's clocks. But Hugo has another secret: a broken automaton, a keepsake from his late watchmaker father. And as Hugo befriends Isabelle, an eccentric kindred spirit, the two children embark on an exciting mission to decipher the silent robot's cryptic message. Above all, the two adventurers must tackle a challenging task: the remarkable machine needs repairing. Who knows where the last crucial key element is? — Nick Riganas
In Paris in 1931, Hugo Cabret ( Asa Butterfield ), a 12-year-old boy, lives with his widowed father, a kind and devoted master clockmaker. Hugo's father ( Jude Law ) takes him to see films and loves the films of Georges Méliès best of all. (Méliès is an historical figure, a pioneer of the cinema.) Hugo's father is burned alive in a museum fire, and Hugo is taken away by his uncle Claude (), an alcoholic watchmaker who is responsible for maintaining the clocks in the Gare Montparnasse, a Paris railway station. His uncle teaches him to take care of the clocks, then disappears. Hugo lives between the walls of the station, maintaining the clocks, stealing food and working on his father's most ambitious project: repairing a broken automaton, a mechanical man who is supposed to write with a pen. Convinced that the automaton contains a message from his father, Hugo goes to desperate lengths to fix it. Hugo steals mechanical parts in the station to repair the automaton, but he is caught by a shopkeeper named Georges Méliès ( Ben Kingsley ), who makes, sells, and repairs toys. Méliès sets a trap with a toy mouse and catches Hugo, then takes Hugo's notebook, which holds his notes and drawings for fixing the automaton. Hugo presses for the return of his notebook, so the angry Méliès -- who's very interested in the notebook -- shouts at him, calling him a thief. Hugo runs. The Train Inspector ( Sacha Baron Cohen ), who is a handicapped gendarme, and his hound dog run after Hugo, pushing customers out of their way. To recover the notebook, Hugo follows Méliès to his house and meets Georges's goddaughter Isabelle ( Chloë Grace Moretz ), a girl close to his age. She convinces him to go home and promises to help. The next day, Méliès gives some ashes to Hugo, referring to them as the notebook's remains, but Isabelle informs him that the notebook was not burnt. Finally Méliès agrees that Hugo may earn the notebook back by working for him until he pays for all the things he stole from the shop. Hugo works in the toy shop, and in his time off manages to fix the automaton, but it is still missing one part -- a heart-shaped key. Hugo introduces Isabelle to the movies, which her godfather has never let her see. They sneak into a theater to see a silent movie without buying a ticket. She in turn introduces Hugo to a bookstore whose owner initially mistrusts Hugo. At first, Hugo is not trusting of Isabelle and tries to leave her, but Isabelle turns out to have the key to the automaton. When they use the key to activate the automaton, it produces a drawing of a film scene. Hugo remembers it is the film his father always said was the first film he ever saw: A Trip to the Moon (1902) . They discover that the drawing made by the automaton is signed with the name of Isabelle's godfather and take it to her home for an explanation. In the Méliès home, Hugo shows Georges's wife Jeanne ( Helen McCrory ) the drawing made by the automaton, but she will not tell them anything and makes them hide in a room when Georges comes home. While hiding, Isabelle and Hugo find a secret cabinet and accidentally release pictures and story boards of Georges' creations just as Georges and Jeanne enter the room. Georges feels depressed and betrayed. However, Hugo befriends the bookstore owner and he helps Hugo and Isabelle search a for a book on the history of film. They are surprised that the author, Rene Tabard ( Michael Stuhlbarg ), writes that Georges Méliès died in the Great War (World War I). When they try to understand the reason for this error, Monsieur Tabard himself appears and the children tell him that Méliès is alive. Tabard reveals himself as a devotee of Méliès's films who still owns a copy of Voyage to the Moon. Hugo, Isabelle and Tabard go to Georges's home, and at first Jeanne does not welcome them, telling them to go before her husband wakes. However, Jeanne accepts their offer to show Voyage to the Moon when it is revealed that she was one of the actresses in Georges's films. While they are watching the film, Georges appears and explains how he came to make movies, invented the special effects, and how he lost faith in films when World War I began. He went broke and was forced to sell his films for the value of the celluloid film stock, which was melted down to make things like buttons and shoe heels. To survive, he opened the toy shop. He believes the automaton he created was lost in the museum fire, and that there is nothing left of his life's work. Hugo decides to go back to the station to get the automaton, but on arrival he is cornered by the station inspector and his dog. He escapes, runs to the top of the clock tower, and hides by climbing out onto the hands of the clock. Once the inspector is gone he grabs the automaton and runs for the exit with it, but he is trapped by the inspector and the automaton is thrown to the railway tracks. Hugo tries to save it but there is a train coming. Climbing onto the tracks anyway, he is almost run over when the officer saves him and the automaton and proceeds to detain him. Hugo pleads with the officer, but then Georges arrives and claims that Hugo is in his care. Finally Georges is honored for his films, Tabard announcing that some 80 Méliès films have been recovered and restored. Georges thanks Hugo for his actions, and then invites the audience to "follow his dreams." Hugo becomes Georges's apprentice and Isabelle decides to be a writer.

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Hugo Review

02 Dec 2011

126 minutes

The whole history of special-effects cinema forms a closed loop in Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Brian Selznick’s children’s book, The Invention Of Hugo Cabret, as Georges Méliès’ 1902 masterpiece, A Trip To The Moon, is digitally rejigged as a modern-day 3D spectacle. Though The Aviator was incidentally about a filmmaking visionary and New York New York and The King Of Comedy are showbiz stories, this is surprisingly the first Scorsese built entirely around the dominant passion of his own life — cinema itself.

Like this season’s The Artist, with which it would make an overpoweringly emotional film fan’s double-bill, this is a French-accented Valentine to the wonders of the movies and a concerted attempt to redeem modes of filmmaking — and the great creatives who pioneered them — once cast aside in a rush to embrace the next thing. The Artist goes so far as to be an Academy-ratio, black-and-white silent movie, aping the kinds of films its tragicomic hero makes, but Hugo finds Scorsese — the most heavyweight director to make a 3D movie since Alfred Hitchcock delivered Dial M For Murder — wholly embracing the possibilities of contemporary film technology in the way Méliès did in his day. The movie is assembled with an obsessive delight in a combination of magic and mechanics, which unites his young and old heroes, a stage conjurer-turned-filmmaker and a lad with an inherited knack for fixing clockwork contraptions.

Much of the film is confined to one single, vast location — a richly detailed, realistic-yet-fantastical recreation of a great Parisian railway terminus, which is also a vast clock through which Hugo (the not-too-cute Asa Butterfield) scurries. There’s a touch of Amélie in the array of unfulfilled secondary characters nudged through their own sub-plots, but only because Scorsese looks to the same French films of the 1930s which informed that hit.

Avoiding Clouseauism, these Parisians have English accents: Chloë Grace Moretz seems to channel Jenny Agutter, while Sacha Baron Cohen’s crippled child-catcher is a perfect Peter Cook. In love with the movies, this also embraces all forms of imagination, with Christopher Lee fondly cast as a non-sinister bookseller dispensing Jules Verne and Robin Hood; Isabelle (Moretz) is his disciple as Hugo idolises filmmaking, experimenting with new words and insisting on the adventures to be had in a library.

Hugo’s personal story features serial-like scrapes: an homage to Harold Lloyd’s clock-face dangling which ups the ante in peril, and dream sequences in which the boy becomes a clockwork cyborg or causes a spectacular train crash. It gets round at last to a flashback dramatisation of the pre-War world of silent filmmaking which is also an enduring love story. In sequences guaranteed to make all true cinephiles go misty-eyed, we witness the creation of silent visions in an all-glass studio (to let in the sunlight necessary for filming before the invention of arc lights), a world as full of magic as any modern blockbuster.

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Hugo (United States, 2011)

With Hugo , Martin Scorsese has accomplished what few in Hollywood are willing to try: make a movie for adults that arrives without sex, violence, or profanity and earns a PG-rating. It's a fairy tale for mature viewers, but the airy exterior hides emotional depth. Hugo is appropriate for young viewers, but it's questionable how much they will derive from the experience and, because the pace is more leisurely than frenetic, it's likely the average child's attention will wander.

The style is nothing like what we have come to expect from Scorsese. The whimsical approach with its Dickensian overtones and interludes of magical realism recall Terry Gilliam and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. For at least one film, Scorsese has left behind much of his baggage and accomplished what David Lynch did with The Straight Story and David Mamet did with The Winslow Boy - use his considerable behind-the-screen prowess and apply it to a different kind of story. The result is often magical.

Hugo is based on the 2007 illustrated historical fiction, The Invention of Hugo Cabret , by Brain Selznick. It transpires in and about Paris' Monparnasse train station during the early 1930s and focuses on a young orphan, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), who lives in the back rooms and hidden places "inside the walls." Having learned the craft of repairing timepieces from his father (Jude Law), a clockmaker who died in a recent fire, Hugo spends his days keeping the station's clocks wound and in good repair - when he's not pilfering the odd croissant or piece of fruit. Hugo also has a hobby - attempting to repair an automaton his father was working on at the time of his death. To accomplish this, Hugo must steal gears and other material from a shopkeeper who turns out to be the legendary director Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley) fallen on hard times. In Melies' goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloe Moretz), Hugo finds an ally. But he also has an enemy - the Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen), who seeks to catch Hugo and send him to an orphanage.

Scorsese's vision of Paris is the stuff of dreams. With a few exceptions, we see it only through Hugo's eyes as he gazes out the windows of a clock tower. It is the City of Lights as romantics around the world imagined it to be between the wars. Hugo's more immediate environs - the station - seem like a modernized excerpt from Dickens, complete with references to orphans and orphanages. Hugo's presence inside clocks and on catwalks allows him to observe the lives of others in the station without being forced to dwell on his own lonely circumstances. In many ways, Isabelle is Hugo's salvation - his first true friend and a girl who yearns for the kind of adventure in real life that she reads about in books borrowed from the kindly M. Labisse (Christopher Lee).

Scorsese pays homage on several occasions to one of the earliest films, the Lumieres' Arrival of a Train at the Station . Indeed, with Melies - one of the pioneers of early film technique and special effects - as a main character, Hugo reveals much about film during the silent era. We learn that, between 1896 and 1914, Melies directed more than 530 films but, in order to save himself from bankruptcy, he was forced to sell the film stock so it could be melted down and turned into shoe heels. Only one print of one of his productions, 1902's A Trip to the Moon , exists and he views his life as a failure. By telling Melies' story, Scorsese has not only an opportunity to explore the innovations and inventiveness of filmmaking during its primitive, formative era, but also a opening to incorporate a message about the importance of preserving films for posterity. (A dogged effort unearthed copies of about 80 of Melies' titles, but more than 400 are forever lost.)

Performances by Sir Ben Kingsley and young Asa Butterfield (who previously had the title role in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ) give Hugo depth and feeling. Kingsley is in top form as an aging Melies who has been beaten down by life and cannot cope with how far he has fallen from his glory days. Flashbacks of Melies directing some of his best-known films provide context, although the de-aging process (whether makeup, CGI, or a combination) does Kingsley no favors - he looks like he's wearing a bad latex mask. Butterfield brings Hugo to life as an intelligent, inquisitive boy who is desperate for a sense of friendship and belonging. The supporting cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen in a mostly straight role as Hugo's nemesis; Emily Mortimer and Richard Griffiths as station merchants whose lives Hugo observes; Helen McCrory as Mama Jeanne, Melies' wife; Ray Winstone as Hugo's boozing uncle; Jude Law as Hugo's kindly father; and Christopher Lee, in a rare nonthreatening part, as a bookseller.

Scorsese becomes one of the first filmmakers to use 3-D effectively, primarily because he employs it as a tool to add to the visual experience rather than as a gimmick to define it. First and foremost, he makes sure that the light level is adequate and that, even in the darkest scenes, viewers aren't squinting to see things as if looking through a pair of grimy sunglasses. Secondly, he is apt to use 3-D to provide depth and body, although he's not averse to the occasional moment of spectacle. The opening scene, a glorious "helicopter" shot of Paris as the camera swoops toward it from above, may be the best example of 3-D thus far provided by any film. 3-D aside, the digital/computer-aided nature of the production allows Scorsese unparalleled freedom with the placement of his lens. Especially early in the film, the camera moves and tracks as if unfettered by the laws of physics.

Hugo is a smart movie, but it also has heart. Those with a passion for early cinema are likely to adore it, although a knowledge of and appreciation for Melies is not requisite to enjoy Scorsese's loving homage. The film deserves to be seen in 3-D as it was conceived, but the story is strong enough for it to survive intact in a 2-D conversion. As un-Scorsese-like as Hugo may be in many ways, it is nevertheless a worthwhile and important addition to the oeuvre of one of the best living filmmakers.

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Hugo Parent Guide

For audiences used to sugarcoated entertainment, this beautifully plated production will likely be far more substantial than expected..

Before the death of his father (Jude Law), Hugo (Asa Butterfield) was shown a remarkable secret. Now living within the walls of a Paris train station, the boy makes little progress understanding the curiosity until he meets a young girl (Chloe Moretz) who appears to hold the key to the mystery.

Release date November 23, 2011

Run Time: 127 minutes

Official Movie Site

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kerry bennett.

Director Martin Scorsese stands at the helm of the visually stunning movie Hug o . Based on an illustrated novel and set in the 1930s, the story introduces Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), an orphan who lives in the internal chambers of the Paris train station. Brought there by his drunken and now absent uncle (Ray Winstone), he secretly winds and repairs the multitude of clocks in the building in hopes no one will realize the older man is gone.

Wandering among the shops, he survives by stealing food while avoiding the station inspector (Sasha Baron Cohen) who patrols the depot for homeless children. In his tiny quarters, the lonely boy’s only companion is an automaton his father (Jude Law) found in storage at a museum. Tinkering away every evening, Hugo tries to repair the mechanical human figure.

Lasting over two hours, this movie may be too long for family viewing with younger audiences. As well, the script expands to include a host of secondary characters and a storyline with some historical significance, which will thrill film buffs but may bore children and some teens.

Employing phenomenal sets and a strong musical score, Scorsese applies amazing 3D effects that leave viewers teetering on the ledge of a clock tower or staring down the workings of a giant timepiece. However for audiences used to sugarcoated entertainment, this beautifully plated production will likely be far more substantial than expected.

This movie is also known as Hugo Cabret.

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Kerry Bennett

Watch the trailer for hugo.

Hugo Rating & Content Info

Why is Hugo rated PG? Hugo is rated PG by the MPAA for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking.

Violence: People are pushed and shoved to the ground as characters race through the train station. A man is caught on a hook dragged along the train platform. A dog nips at and bites a man. A fire in a building results in a man’s death. A deceased man is pulled out of a river. A child steals to survive. A man threatens a boy. A character is thrown into a holding pen and then picked up by police. Characters sneak into a movie theater. Characters hang from the side of buildings and experience other moments of peril in the movie, as well as in historical film footage. A train nearly runs over a person on the track.

Sexual Content: Men discuss a woman’s pregnancy and the paternity of the child. Other brief sexual innuendo is included.

Language: The script contains brief name-calling.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Smoking among secondary characters is repeatedly depicted. A man is drunk. Other characters drink on occasion.

Page last updated April 29, 2020

Hugo Parents' Guide

What does Hugo discover about the purpose of life? What difference does he make in the lives of the people he meets? How does he help Isabelle find her purpose? What is it?

Isabelle claims she has only had adventures through books. What effect does reading have on her and her vocabulary?

Clocks are everywhere in this production. What is the significance of time in this story? What events happen because someone is at the right place at the right time? How are some characters stuck in the moment?

Does an understanding of film history change the way we look at movies? How did those early inventions transform the world of entertainment? What other “passing fancies” have become ingrained in society. Check out this footage of Le Voyage dans la lune shot in 1902.

Loved this movie? Try these books…

Isabelle mentions a number of classic adventure novels, including Robert Louis Stevensons' "Treasure Island", a one of the best stories of adventure on the high seas for children. In C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe", the four Pevensie siblings find a magical world lying just behind the door of a wardrobe. Sophie, the protagonist of Roald Dahl's "The BFG" is spirited away to the land of giants- huge, bloodthirsty monsters who steal children from their beds at night.

George Melies' film "A Trip to the Moon" is one of the first science fiction films ever made. Early examples of science fiction in literature include Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", Jules Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon", and H.G. Wells "The Time Machine".

The most recent home video release of Hugo movie is February 28, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Hugo

Release Date: 28 February 2012

Hugo releases to home video in a Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) and a 3D Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy). Both packages include:

- Shoot the Moon

- The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès

- The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo

- Big Effects, Small Scale

- Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime

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10 Best Movies Like Mortal Engines

The post-apocalyptic steampunk film "Mortal Engines" bombed at the box office but had a praised cast and intriguing story.
Similar films like "Valerian," "City of Ember," and "Blade Runner 2049" also faced box-office challenges.
"Oblivion," "The Chronicles Of Riddick," "Mad Max: Fury Road," and others contain similar themes to "Mortal Engines."

Mortal Engines chronicles a very unique tale, making it difficult to find films, but, thankfully, numerous post-apocalyptic, steampunk, and fantasy movies have been made over the years. The 2018 post-apocalyptic steampunk film, directed by Christian Rivers and written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, depicts a world set more than a thousand years in the future where cities have become motorized on wheels and try to destroy one another following the Sixty Minute War. Although it is based on Philip Reeve's 2001 novel of the same name, Mortal Engines contains several changes from the book .

The cast of Mortal Engines includes:

Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw
Robert Sheehan as Tom Natsworthy
Hugo Weaving as Thaddeus Valentine
Jihae Kim as Anna Fang
Ronan Raftery as Bevis Pod
Leila George as Katherine Valentine
Patrick Malahide as Magnus Crome
Stephen Lang as Shrike.

Although Mortal Engines bombed at the box office — it grossed around $83.7 million against a budget of $100–150 million — and was a critical failure, audiences rated it a little better and praised the cast for their performances. The 2018 film didn't feature multiple big names (except for Hugo Weaving, and even then, he's no Tom Cruise), so it's understandable why some weren't drawn to see it in theaters. Movies often succeed by having big stars attached to a project, which is why many projects similar to Mortal Engines performed better at the box office (while others had similar receptions).

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Directed by luc besson.

Director Luc Besson

Release Date July 21, 2017

Writers Luc Besson

Cast Cara Delevingne, Rutger Hauer, Dane DeHaan, John Goodman, Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke, Kris Wu, Rihanna, Sam Spruell

Rating PG-13

Runtime 2h 17m

Genres Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets features the same futuristic tone as Mortal Engines , and both movies contain evil entities that threaten humanity and mobilized cities. The 2017 space opera film, directed and written by Luc Besson, is based on Dargaud's Valérian and Laureline , a French science fiction comics series, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières . So, like Mortal Engines , Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is an adaption.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is the most expensive independent film ever made, as director and screenwriter Luc Besson personally funded the project.

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne lead the cast of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets as Valerian and Laureline, respectively. The duo are soldiers for the United Human Federation, which rules over the galaxy, but they run into trouble while on a mission. Unfortunately, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets has one more similarity to Mortal Engines — the 2017 space opera was also a box office bomb since it grossed $225 million worldwide against a budget of around $223 million.

Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets: 10 Backstage Facts You Never Knew About The Film

Directed by joseph kosinski.

Director Joseph Kosinski

Release Date April 19, 2013

Writers Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt, Joseph Kosinski

Cast Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise, Zoe Bell, Olga Kurylenko, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo

Runtime 124minute

Genres Sci-Fi, Action

Oblivion , directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Karl Gajdusek and Michael deBruyn, is another post-apocalyptic movie that centers around Earth, which has been demolished after an alien war, in 2077. The 2013 action-adventure film has some star power as its leading man is Tom Cruise, who plays Jack Harper, a technician who repairs drones on Earth, and some other big names in the Oblivion cast are Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo.

Oblivion ultimately grossed $286 million worldwide against a budget of $120 million during its theatrical run in 2013.

Like Mortal Engines , Oblivion is a movie based on comics, as its source material is director Joseph Kosinski's unpublished graphic novel of the same name. Unfortunately, there are no plans for an Oblivion sequel with Tom Cruise . However, many fans hope that will change after the success of Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick , and only time will tell if the actor is inspired to continue the science fiction story.

The Chronicles Of Riddick

Directed by david twohy, the chronicles of riddick.

Director David Twohy

Release Date June 11, 2004

Writers David Twohy

Cast Colm Feore, Karl Urban, Judi Dench, Vin Diesel, Thandie Newton

Runtime 119 minutes

Genres Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Adventure

The Chronicles of Riddick is the perfect movie to watch after Mortal Engines as its science fiction elements are similar to the ones featured in the 2018 film. The 2004 movie was directed and written by David Twohy and serves as the second installment in the Riddick film series , following Pitch Black (which Twohy also directed) in 2000 and succeeded by Riddick in 2013. Ken and Jim Wheat initially created the franchise, which has grown to include video games, comics, books, and more.

Vin Diesel is expected to reprise his role as Riddick in a fourth Riddick movie entitled Riddick 4: Furya , while David Twohy will return to direct and write it.

The Chronicles of Riddick is about a fugitive named Richard B. Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, who is on the run from bounty hunters. However, Riddick is also tasked with saving humanity from the Necromongers, an army that aims to rule over the galaxy. Aside from Diesel, some of the other members of the cast of The Chronicles of Riddick include Colm Feore as the Lord Marshal, Keith David as Abu "Imam" al-Walid, Alexa Davalos as Jack/Kyra, Karl Urban as Commander Vaako, Thandiwe Newton (credited as Thandie Newton) as Dame Vaako, and Judi Dench as Aereon.

City Of Ember

Directed by gil kenan, city of ember.

Director Gil Kenan

Release Date October 7, 2008

Cast B.J. Hogg, David Ryall, Bill Murray, Ian McElhinney, Tim Robbins, Harry Treadaway

Runtime 95 minutes

Genres Sci-Fi, Family, Adventure, Fantasy

The 2008 science fiction fantasy adventure film City of Ember is based on Jeanne DuPrau's 2003 novel of the same name, similar to how comics inspired Mortal Engines . The movie chronicles an underground city (Ember) that has run on a massive generator for 200 years. However, the generation starts to lose power, so two characters — Lina Mayfleet, played by Saoirse Ronan, and Doon Harrow, played by Harry Treadaway — have to find a way to save Ember. The movie's visuals are striking enough to pull audiences in, while the all-star cast gives great performances.

Tom Hanks' production company — Playtone — produced City of Ember .

Gil Kenan directed City of Ember in his live-action directorial debut, while Caroline Thompson wrote the script. The 2008 fantasy adventure film received mixed reviews from critics, and unfortunately, it was a box office bomb like Mortal Engines . The movie only grossed $17.9 million worldwide against a budget of $55 million, meaning that a City of Ember sequel is unlikely to happen .

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Director Martin Scorsese

Release Date November 22, 2011

Writers Brian Selznick, John Logan

Cast Asa Butterfield, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Chloe Grace Moretz

Runtime 126 minutes

Genres Family, Drama, Mystery, Documentary, Adventure

Martin Scorsese's Hugo certainly isn't the renowned filmmaker's most talked-about movie, but it was critically successful following its premiere in 2011 and contains a thrilling story set in 1930s Paris. The action-adventure film takes place in the past instead of in the future like Mortal Engines . However, its engrossing adventure (which entails a young boy trying to solve a mystery revolving around an automaton) is worth watching if one liked the 2018 post-apocalyptic steampunk movie.

Hugo is based on Brian Selznick's 2007 novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret , and while Scorsese's movie was a box office disappointment (it earned $185 million against a budget of $150 million), it was a critical success. The 2011 action-adventure film received 11 nominations at the 84th Academy Awards and ultimately won five Oscars — for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

Mortal Engines Review: Peter Jackson's Mad Max is Surprisingly Bland

Mad max: fury road, directed by george miller.

Director George Miller

Release Date May 14, 2015

Writers Nick Lathouris, Brendan McCarthy, George Miller

Cast Nicholas Hoult, Abbey Lee, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Courtney Eaton

Runtime 120 Minutes

Genres Thriller, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Franchise(s) Mad Max

Mad Max: Fury Road certainly has a more rugged feel to it than Mortal Engines but both are set in a post-apocalyptic world where the struggle for power dominates the story. The 2015 post-apocalyptic action film, directed by George Miller and written by Miller, Brendan McCarthy, and Nico Lathouris, is the fourth installment in the Mad Max movie series , after Mad Max in 1979, Mad Max 2 in 1981, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.

The fifth installment in the Mad Max film series, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , premieres on May 24, 2024, and is described as both a prequel and a spin-off to Mad Max: Fury Road .

The Mad Max franchise was revived 30 years after the release of the third film because Miller decided to follow through with his plans for another sequel after it spent years in development hell and faced numerous other obstacles. It was a fantastic decision on Miller's part since Mad Max: Fury Road is considered the best movie in the franchise . The 2015 film was a critical and box office success as it grossed $380.4 million against an estimated budget of around $150 million. Mad Max: Fury Road also won six Oscars at the 88th Academy Awards.

Blade Runner 2049

Directed by denis villeneuve.

Director Denis Villeneuve

Release Date October 6, 2017

Writers Hampton Fancher, Michael Green

Cast Lennie James, David Dastmalchian, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Carla Juri, Barkhad Abdi, Hiam Abbass, Dave Bautista, Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis, Ana De Armas

Genres Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Action

prequel(s) Blade Runner

To be honest, either Blade Runner or Blade Runner 2049 are perfect movies to watch after Mortal Engines , but the more recent film aligns a little bit better with the themes of the 2018 post-apocalyptic steampunk movie. The sequel to the classic 1982 science fiction film debuted in 2017. It featured the return of Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard and the introduction of Ryan Gosling as K. Blade Runner 2049 , directed by Denis Villeneuve, is more associated with cyberpunk than steampunk. However, the two genres are close enough that those who enjoyed Mortal Engines would like Blade Runner 2049 .

Blade Runner 2099 , a television series set in the Blade Runner universe, is in development for Amazon Prime Video.

The 2017 epic neo-noir science fiction film revolves around a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department (Gosling's character) who discovers a game-changing secret that could send the world into disarray. As a result, K sets out to find Rick Deckard, a former blade runner who no one has seen in 30 years. Unfortunately, Blade Runner 2049 was a box office bomb like Mortal Engines , despite receiving positive reviews. The movie earned $267.5 million against a budget of around $150–185 million.

Alita: Battle Angel

Directed by robert rodriguez.

Director Robert Rodriguez

Release Date February 14, 2019

Writers Laeta Kalogridis, Yukito Kishiro, James Cameron

Cast Jackie Earle Haley, Lana Condor, Eiza Gonzalez, Mahershala Ali, Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz

Rating pg-13

Runtime 122minutes

Genres Sci-Fi, Romance, Thriller, Action, Adventure

While Alita: Battle Angel is considered cyberpunk (like Blade Runner 2049 ) instead of steampunk like Mortal Engines , the two films still have a lot in common. Both Alita: Battle Angel and Mortal Engines revolve around a young protagonist tasked with uncovering their destiny while surrounded by the obstacles of a post-apocalyptic world. The 2019 cyberpunk action film, directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis, chronicles the journey of a cyborg named Alita who wakes up in a new body with no memory of what happened to her.

Unlike Mortal Engines , Alita: Battle Angel was a box office success , having grossed $405 million against a budget of around $150-200 million. However, it received mixed reviews from critics, who claimed that the futuristic action in the movie was superb but the story was comparatively lacking to the grand scale of its world. Nevertheless, an Alita: Battle Angel sequel is in development.

Ready Player One

Directed by steven spielberg.

Director Steven Spielberg

Release Date March 29, 2018

Writers Eric Eason, Zak Penn, Ernest Cline

Cast Ben Mendelsohn, Tye Sheridan, Simon Pegg, Lena Waithe, Ralph Ineson, Mckenna Grace, T.J. Miller, Olivia Cooke, Mark Rylance, Letitia Wright, Hannah John-Kamen

Runtime 2h 20m

Genres Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action

Given the movie's achievements and Spielberg's name being attached to the project, a sequel to Ready Player One is in development.

Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is based on Ernest Cline's 2011 book of the same name and is set in 2045, a future where most of humanity utilizes a virtual reality program (OASIS) as an escape from the stresses of the real world. Tye Sheridan, one of the many talented actors in the superb cast of Ready Player One , plays Wade Watts, a teenager who seeks to win ownership of the OASIS before someone evil can get their hands on it. So, like Mortal Engines , the fate of humanity is at stake in the 2018 science fiction action film.

Ready Player One surprisingly received positive reviews and was a box office success as it grossed $607 million against a $155-175 million budget. It also earned a Best Visual Effects nod at the 91st Academy Awards. Of course, given the movie's achievements and Spielberg's name being attached to the project, a sequel to Ready Player One is in development. Spielberg will (at least) serve as a producer on the upcoming film.

Spielberg's Ready Player One's Sequel Update Is A Huge Relief (But Doesn't Solve The Biggest Problem)

The maze runner, directed by wes ball.

Director Wes Ball

Release Date September 19, 2014

Writers Grant Pierce Myers, Noah Oppenheim, T.S. Nowlin

Cast Dylan O'Brien, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rosa Salazar, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Katherine McNamara, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen

Runtime 113 Minutes

Franchise(s) The Maze Runner

The final film most like Mortal Engines is The Maze Runner , also developed from printed source material. The 2014 dystopian science fiction movie, directed by Wes Ball and written by Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. Nowlin, is based on James Dashner's book series of the same name. The film revolves around Thomas, a teenager who wakes up in the "Glade" with no recollection of who he is. The "Glade" contains other boys (and only one girl named Teresa). Their mission is to escape, but a complex maze surrounding them is their only way out.

Given the first film's success, two sequels ( Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and Maze Runner: The Death Cure ) based on Dashner's novels were released. The cast of The Maze Runner mostly stayed the same throughout all three movies, with Dylan O'Brien at the center. The Maze Runner takes many twists and turns (pun intended), just like Mortal Engines , and the two films certainly share differences, but both are set in a dystopian world where one tyrannical entity rules.

The Maze Runner and Mortal Engines are available to stream on Netflix.

The 10 Best Movies Written by John Hughes, Ranked

While John Hughes is a great director, he's also a great writer.

John Hughes was an American filmmaker between the early '80s and late '90s. He started out writing short stories and selling jokes to comedians, before penning screenplays and eventually stepping behind the camera himself. His most famous movies include gems like The Breakfast Club , Ferris Bueller's Day Off , and Home Alone . In particular, Hughes was renowned for his ability to craft authentic teenage characters that resonated with audiences.

He took his adolescent protagonists seriously and had an uncanny understanding of their hopes and anxieties. However, his range as a storyteller extended beyond teen movies. His insights into the experiences of middle-aged individuals were equally astute, evident in films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles and She’s Having a Baby , as well as his scripts for Uncle Buck and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation . These are Hughes's best-written projects, ranked.

10 'Pretty in Pink' (1986)

Starring: molly ringwald, harry dean stanton, jon cryer, annie potts.

Andie Walsh ( Molly Ringwald ) is a quirky and independent teenager from the wrong side of the track who falls for the popular, affluent Blane McDonough ( Andrew McCarthy ). Despite their differing social backgrounds, the two develop a genuine connection, much to the disapproval of Blane's elitist friends. But Andie's best friend, Duckie ( Jon Cryer ), harbors feelings for Andie, further complicating matters.

Pretty in Pink is quintessential John Hughes. While some might say the storyline borrows too heavily from his previous works, the film's vibrant '80s aesthetic and talented cast, including James Spader and Annie Potts , elevate it. The character of Duckie is also more complicated than he at first appears, dividing viewers with his behavior. Whether you find him endearing or irritating, there's no denying the impact of the scene where he glides into the music store and performs a dance/lip sync to "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding .

Pretty in Pink

Watch on Paramount+

9 'Some Kind of Wonderful' (1987)

Starring: eric stoltz, mary stuart masterson, lea thompson, craig sheffer.

Eric Stoltz leads the cast here as Keith Nelson, a talented but socially awkward high school student who has a secret crush on popular girl Amanda Jones ( Lea Thompson ). Keith's best friend, Watts ( Mary Stuart Masterson ), shares his artistic passions and offers unwavering support. When he finally gathers the courage to ask Amanda out, Keith finds himself torn between his feelings for both girls.

While certain aspects of Some Kind of Wonderful lack clarity, such as Watts's backstory, the performances of the main cast compensate for these gaps. The stars have great chemistry, and Hughes understands what makes their characters tick. We see this dynamic at its best when Keith and Amanda enjoy a meticulously planned dream date, with Watts reluctantly serving as their chauffeur. As the two embrace on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl while Watts looks on sadly from a distance, the film captures the essence of every teenager's worst nightmare .

Some Kind of Wonderful

Watch on Prime

8 'Sixteen Candles' (1984)

Starring: molly ringwald, michael schoeffling, anthony michael hall, haviland morris.

Hughes's directorial debut features Molly Ringwald (then just 15 years old) as Samantha Baker, a high school sophomore whose sixteenth birthday is overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding. In fact, her family forgets her birthday altogether. While navigating the chaos of the wedding preparations, she becomes infatuated with senior classmate Jake Ryan ( Michael Schoeffling ). Amidst the comedic mishaps and awkward encounters, Samantha also forms an unexpected bond with geeky freshman Ted ( Anthony Michael Hall ).

Some of the story elements have aged poorly and a few of the jokes now come off as insensitive, but fundamentally Sixteen Candles remains a humorous and genuinely touching coming-of-age tale. In contrast to other teen comedies of the time, such as Porky’s and Losin’ It , Hughes takes a sweeter, more nostalgic approach to teenage experiences here. It's not especially witty or sophisticated, but it's entertaining, and the characters are likable, even when making bad decisions. Audiences responded, and the film's solid success paved the way for Hughes's more ambitious projects that followed.

Sixteen Candles

Watch on Tubi

7 'Uncle Buck' (1989)

Starring: john candy, jean louisa kelly, laurie metcalf, jay underwood.

This comedy follows the misadventures of Buck Russell ( John Candy ), a carefree and slobbish bachelor who unexpectedly finds himself tasked with babysitting his nieces and nephew when their parents must leave town. Despite initial resistance, Buck forms a deep bond with the kids, including rebellious teenager Tia ( Jean Louisa Kelly ), and the mischievous Miles ( Macaulay Culkin ) and Maizy ( Gaby Hoffmann ).

Uncle Buck is equal parts silly and tender, simply but effectively told. There are some narrative missteps and the tone is somewhat inconsistent, but the movie compensates with memorable lines (Culkin might have the best of the bunch) and a few riotous slapstick sequences. Candy and Hughes had worked together before and developed a great creative rapport , responsible for many of Uncle Buck 's best moments. As Kelly explains : "Hughes really just let Candy take the ball and go with it [...] I don’t really know that you can write that stuff and get the same kind of organic authenticity".

Rent on Amazon

6 'National Lampoon's Vacation' (1983)

Starring: chevy chase, beverly d'angelo, anthony michael hall, dana barron.

National Lampoon's Vacation , directed by Harold Ramis , focuses on the Griswold family and their cross-country road trip from Chicago to a California amusement park. Patriarch Clark Griswold ( Chevy Chase ) is determined to create the perfect vacation for his wife Ellen ( Beverly D'Angelo ) and their children Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey ( Dana Barron ). However, their journey is plagued by calamities, including an encounter with Aunt Edna's corpse, an ill-fated visit to Cousin Eddie's house, and endless car troubles.

Primarily, Vacation serves as a showcase for Chase's talent for physical comedy. This is exemplified in scenes such as his comical struggle with a gas pump while trying to fill the tank of the family truckster. The movie may be rough around the edges, but it's packed with fun moments like this, including the car destruction scene in Monument Valley, Rusty chugging a beer like a pro, the Chariots of Fire reference, and John Candy's cameo.

5 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (1989)

Starring: chevy chase, beverly d'angelo, juliette lewis, johnny galecki.

The third entry in the Vacation series sees the Griswolds preparing for Christmas at home. Once again, dad Clark (Chevy Chase) wants the festivities to be perfect, but the universe sets out to thwart him at every turn. He must contend with a disastrous tree-trimming outing, a chaotic shopping trip, and the unexpected arrival of zany relatives.

The movie starts strong and ends with a feel-good finale, but the momentum drags a little in the middle. The character of Cousin Eddie ( Randy Quaid ) feels especially one-note and grating. Some of the gags are also starting to get a bit stale this time around. Nevertheless, one can't fault the warm visuals or authentic family dynamics. This is a Christmas movie done right, capturing the holiday spirit in cinematic form. As a result, it has become something of a Yuletide classic. Plus, it's intriguing to see a young Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki playing Clark's kids.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

4 'planes, trains & automobiles' (1987), starring: steve martin, john candy, laila robins, michael mckean.

A classic road comedy , Planes, Trains and Automobiles showcases the comedic talents of Steve Martin and John Candy as Neal Page and Del Griffith, an odd pair trying to get to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Their contrasting personalities lead to frequent clashes, but as the story progresses, their friendship deepens, and the stars' comedic chemistry is undeniable.

The comic set pieces get pretty wild, including hypoallergenic pillows, extreme sinus cleaning, and raucous taxi races. There are also heartfelt moments amidst the humor, however, and the film makes for a poignant celebration of friendship. It might be Hughes's best fusion of farce and heart. At the time, the film was seen as a significant departure from his usual teen fare, and a significant step forward for the filmmaker. Crucially, the protagonists are complex rather than cardboard cutouts, and the casting is pitch-perfect. They're not so much playing characters as simply unleashing their comedy powers in front of the camera.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

3 'home alone' (1990), starring: macaulay culkin, joe pesci, daniel stern, john heard.

The legendary Home Alone revolves around eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), who is accidentally left behind when his family travels to Paris for Christmas vacation. Initially reveling in his newfound freedom, Kevin soon has to defend his home against two bumbling burglars, Harry ( Joe Pesci ) and Marv ( Daniel Stern ). With just his wits and some household supplies, Kevin creates a fortress of ingenious booby traps.

Hughes tapped into a primal childhood fear of being left alone, crafting a simple yet powerful premise. Specifically, the film captures the childhood dread/fantasy of protecting oneself from potential intruders. He realizes this with ever-escalating comedic violence, a recipe that resonated with audiences and raked in $476m at the box office. As a result, Home Alone spawned a legion of imitators. Even movies like Dennis the Menace and 101 Dalmatians seem to take cues from its style. But the movie still has a unique charm that makes it rewatchable, more than three decades later.

Watch on Disney+

2 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' (1986)

Starring: matthew broderick, alan ruck, mia sara, jennifer grey.

High school senior Ferris Bueller ( Matthew Broderick ) decides to skip school one last time before graduation. He embarks on an epic day of adventure across Chicago with his best friend Cameron ( Alan Ruck ) and girlfriend Sloane ( Mia Sara ) in tow. From crashing a parade to dining at a fancy restaurant and visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, Ferris orchestrates a series of elaborate schemes to evade his school's dean, Mr. Rooney ( Jeffrey Jones ), who is determined to catch him in the act.

This slyly self-aware comedy broke significant ground and became an instant cultural sensation. Like Planes, Trains & Automobiles , Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a marvel of casting. Only Matthew Broderick could make this rebellious, self-important little cretin seem likable, even heroic. Plus, the script demonstrates yet again Hughes's more complex treatment of teenage characters. As Ruck has said : "Hughes added this element of dignity. He was an advocate for teenagers as complete human beings, and he honored their hopes and their dreams."

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

1 'the breakfast club' (1985), starring: emilio estevez, paul gleason, anthony michael hall, john kapelos.

Hughes's standout achievement, The Breakfast Club unfolds one Saturday morning in a high school library, where five students are serving detention: the brainy but socially awkward Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), the rebellious John Bender ( Judd Nelson ), the popular Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald), the introspective Allison Reynolds ( Ally Sheedy ), and the jock with a hidden sensitive side, Andrew Clark ( Emilio Estevez ). Through candid conversations, they unexpectedly connect.

The Breakfast Club is a classic coming-of-movie. Rather than revolutionizing teen movie formulas, it taps into the genre's full potential by treating adolescent characters and their social issues seriously. Here, Hughes demolishes stereotypes and engages smartly with the teenage yearning to be understood. More than that, he made one of the quintessential '80s films, crystallizing that era's fashion, slang and anxieties in amber. Despite being so rooted in its time and place, The Breakfast Club is also accessible to other generations and has proved itself to have greater longevity than most of the other hit comedies from its era.

The Breakfast Club

Watch on Max

NEXT: The 10 Most Underrated Western Comedies, Ranked

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Hugo movie review & film summary (2011)
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Hugo movie review & film summary (2011)
Powered by JustWatch. "Hugo" is unlike any other film Martin Scorsese has ever made, and yet possibly the closest to his heart: a big-budget, family epic in 3-D, and in some ways, a mirror of his own life. We feel a great artist has been given command of the tools and resources he needs to make a movie about — movies.
Hugo
Movie Info. Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but ...
Hugo
Hugo - review. This article is more than 12 years old ... Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a beautiful book, half graphic novel, half prose tale, by Brian Selznick, the movie is a ...
Hugo (2011)
In the late 20's, in Paris, the orphan Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a lonely boy that lives hidden from the cruel Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) behind the walls of the train station, keeping the clocks working. He survives stealing breads, milk and other nourishment from the station stores.
Hugo
Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 21, 2022. Michael Clark Epoch Times. This film is the work of a genius at the top of his game that exceeds all expectations and is literally a movie for ...
Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo,' With Ben Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen
A film review on Wednesday about "Hugo," the new Martin Scorsese movie, misstated its rating in some copies. It is PG (parental guidance suggested), not PG-13 (parents strongly cautioned).
Hugo
Andrew Pulver. Wed 23 Nov 2011 13.03 EST. W ith this 3D family-friendly, kid-oriented fantasy film, Martin Scorsese has executed one of his periodic 180-degree about turns: comparable to his 19th ...
Hugo (2011)
Hugo: Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz. In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Hugo
Hugo - review This article is more than 12 years old Martin Scorsese's family friendly fantasy is a cinephile's delight: a beautifully designed homage to the power of the first film-makers
Movie Review
Movie Review - 'Hugo' From A Master, ... for Hugo (the film) is a marvel of spectacle, a sensory feast steeped in cinematic lore that proves pure joy is attainable in three dimensions. Martin ...
Hugo
Based on Brian Selznick's captivating and imaginative New York Times bestseller "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." Hugo Cabret, Scorsese's first film shot in 3D, tells the tale of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When Hugo encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl, and the cold, reserved man who runs the toy shop, he is caught up in a magical ...
Hugo Movie Review
Hugo Movie Review. 2:01 Hugo Official trailer. Hugo. Community Reviews. See all. Parents say (52) Kids say (129) age 9+ Based on 52 parent reviews . Kara_Minotti Parent of 9-year-old. October 23, 2021 age 9+ Automaton review This movie is great! But WARNING in around middle a little more then middle there is a horrifying part were Hugo has a ...
Hugo Review
Hugo was meant to change everything. It was the film that was meant to legitimise 3D, elevating it from a cheap parlour trick into a credible cinematic technique. And while some of its passages ...
'Hugo' Review
Hugo is most definitely a Martin Scorsese film, and one of the better ones at that. But more than anything else, Hugo is a movie about the love of movies, crafted by a man who truly loves moviemaking, and meant for those who in turn love the art, spectacle, imagination, and soul-stirring joy of cinema. In short: Hugo is another Martin Scorsese ...
Hugo (film)
Hugo is a 2011 American adventure drama film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese, and adapted for the screen by John Logan.Based on Brian Selznick's 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it tells the story of a boy who lives alone in the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris in the 1930s, only to become embroiled in a mystery surrounding his late father's automaton and the ...
Hugo
Movie Review. Hugo Cabret lives in a secret world. It's a dank world of gears and steam and coal and levers and shadowy passageways that few even know exist. And he lives there alone … except for the fact that he's actually never alone. That's because this young orphan's home is the most unlikely of places: deep in the heart of Paris ...
Movie Review: Hugo (2011)
Poo-Review Ratings. There's a lot of hoopla surrounding Martin Scorsese's latest, Hugo, which is the director's introduction to family films, and the only one to utilize 3D technology. Not run-of-the-mill praise, I've heard phrases like "timeless," "a masterpiece," and "one of the best movies about filmmaking ever made ...
Reflections on 'Hugo': The Late-Scorsese Masterpiece ...
Paramount Pictures. At first glance, Hugo seems to be Scorsese's The Straight Story — a work that, like David Lynch's 1999 drama, appears to clash with the types of films the director otherwise tends to gravitate towards. Rather than solely aimed at adults, Hugo moves away from the established aesthetics of Scorsese's classics and aspires for something lighter, though not any less ...
Hugo (2011)
Hugo is an orphan who lives in a Paris railway station, tending to the station clocks during his uncle's mysterious absence. He scrounges food from the vendors and steals mechanical parts. Hugo's father was a watchmaker, and Hugo inherited his father's talent for all things mechanical. Years before, Hugo's father found an intricate mechanical ...
Hugo Review
Hugo Review. Paris, 1931. Young Hugo (Butterfield) maintains the clocks of a great railway station while avoiding a guard (Baron Cohen) intent on sending him to an orphanage. Aided by Isabelle ...
Hugo
Hugo (United States, 2011) November 24, 2011. A movie review by James Berardinelli. With Hugo, Martin Scorsese has accomplished what few in Hollywood are willing to try: make a movie for adults that arrives without sex, violence, or profanity and earns a PG-rating. It's a fairy tale for mature viewers, but the airy exterior hides emotional depth.
Hugo Movie Review for Parents
Hugo Rating & Content Info . Why is Hugo rated PG? Hugo is rated PG by the MPAA for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking.. Violence: People are pushed and shoved to the ground as characters race through the train station. A man is caught on a hook dragged along the train platform. A dog nips at and bites a man. A fire in a building results in a man's death.
10 Best Movies Like Mortal Engines
Hugo is based on Brian Selznick's 2007 novel The ... Blade Runner 2049 was a box office bomb like Mortal Engines, despite receiving positive reviews. The movie earned $267.5 million against a ...
10 Best Movies Written by John Hughes, Ranked
Hughes's directorial debut features Molly Ringwald (then just 15 years old) as Samantha Baker, a high school sophomore whose sixteenth birthday is overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding.

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