(2011)
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Soundtrack by: Howard Shore
★★★★★
Going into this movie, I didn't really know what to expect. I had a general synopsis at my disposal of what the basic plot of the movie was, but other than that I wasn't really sure what I was suppose to be looking for. All I knew was that it was a Martin Scorsese film and that I'd probably like it even if it was just for the way the scenes were shot or the soundtrack. Cleaning theaters while the credits play gave me a hint of what I was to expect from at least the music department. So with the basics, I went into this movie, prepared to just experience another movie.
I came out of this movie completely stunned. It was an amazing film, and I don't really even know how to begin. I'm not a huge fan of child actors, but Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz were absolutely phenomenal. They played their roles very convincingly and there was no doubt that they understood what kind of role they had. Butterfield played Hugo, an orphan who tends to the clocks in the train station after his father passes away, trying to rebuild an automaton which is the only thing he has left to remember his father. This movie takes a lot of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, and you could just tell each person knew how to portray the character they were suppose to. The directing was amazing, and each scene was done as well as you'd imagine it to be. In the beginning, there's a long scene where it shows Hugo running through the hidden passages in the wall, and the way that the camera follows him and loops around just really shows you the intricacies of the scene.
The way the coloring was in the film was different too. Most of the colors were really sharp, but then when it would fade back into a characters memory, the colors would soften as if to show that it was a glimpse into the distant past. I thought it was a really creative touch, and it really should the attention to detail that they had when making this movie. Between the enticing background music that played throughout the movie, the passion that these actors exuded and everything else in between, this movie really was spectacular. There were some cameos by Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee (I seriously laughed a little because the first thing he says just makes you go, SARUMAN!) and several others, that just helped make the in-between background scenes add to the film that slowly remind you that there are more things going on at once than are lead to believe. I was surprised by the role of Sacha Baron Cohen, because considering past roles, I didn't think he was capable of playing a role that wasn't border-lining the ridiculous. Despite all that, though, he did an excellent job playing the awkward, goofy yet authoritative Station Inspector. I was thoroughly pleased to see him playing something different than his usual roles.
And Ben Kingsly, where do I even begin? Without really knowing it in the beginning, he just plays a seemingly angry man who owns a toy shop, but as the story continues to grow you soon begin to see that he's a man haunted by his own prestigious past, who tries to ignore the downfall of his career, which he was so passionate and lively about. The hurt is carried heavily upon his shoulders, and you soon begin to see him as a broken man, simply trying to forget the one thing that brought him absolute happiness. It isn't until the end where you begin to see the life flow back into the character, and the gratitude that he has towards Hugo for helping him re-achieve his happiness.
I wish I was more articulate so I could continue writing about this, but really it's one of those movies you just need to go see for yourself, to experience each scene and each person. I will say, though, that I didn't expect to tear up or cry as much as I did through this movie, and especially at the end where Asa Butterfield is yelling and crying at Sacha Cohen, trying to convince him to let him go because he has something he has to do, and because he doesn't understand why his father died and why he was alone but there was something he really needed to do and that it was his only chance to do so. The acting was simply amazing, and the way that Butterfield said his lines were very convincing, and the way Cohen's face contorted into conflict on whether or not to let Hugo go or not...absolutely amazing.
I might add more to this someday, when I end up getting it and can remember more than I do now, but really this movie was just so good and it was just as amazing and I wanted it to be. I am glad I didn't see it in 3-D though, that was a definitely plus.
