Hugo (2011)
83%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
61 wins & 192 nominations total
Hugo is an extravagant, elegant fantasy with an innocence lacking in many modern kids’ movies, and one that emanates an unabashed love for the magic of cinema
Hugo is like a fancy cake that looks amazing but tastes just okay. Sure, the visuals are stunning and the 3-D is used in a way that doesn’t make you want to rip off your glasses, but the story itself is a bit bland. It’s like a history lesson with a side of adventure, but not the kind of adventure that makes you want to jump out of your seat. Overall, it’s a good movie to watch if you’re in the mood for something visually impressive, but don’t expect to be blown away by the plot.
Production Company(ies)
Buffalo Film Works Paramount Pictures, Platinum Dunes
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Peterborough Train Station, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Surround 7.1 Datasat SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 6m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 2011 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 28, 2012
Genre(s)
Adventure/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by John Logan, adventure, fantasy, drama, PG rating, box office gross $73.8M, produced by Graham King, Tim Headington, Martin Scorsese, Johnny Depp, reviewed by Deborah Ross, Sara Michelle Fetters, Christy Lemire, Leonard Maltin, David Sexton, Michael Clark, Stephen Silver, Danielle Solzman, Ray Pride, James Croot, PG rating, train station, automaton, Paris, clocks, Georges Méliès, classic cinema, 1930s, orphan, goddaughter, toy merchant, mystery, film preservation, 3D, visual effects, cinematography, musical score
Worldwide gross: $185,770,310
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $244,566,218
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 592
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 26,670,253
US/Canada gross: $73,864,507
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $97,242,466
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 768
US/Canada opening weekend: $11,364,505
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,961,347
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 789
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $150,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $197,474,681
Production budget ranking: 121
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $106,340,116
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$59,248,579
ROI to date (est.): -20%
ROI ranking: 1,497
Sacha Baron Cohen – Station Inspector
Asa Butterfield – Hugo Cabret
Chloë Grace Moretz – Isabelle
Ray Winstone – Uncle Claude
Emily Mortimer – Lisette
Director(s)
Martin Scorsese
Writer(s)
John Logan
Producer(s)
Graham King, Tim Headington, Martin Scorsese, Johnny Depp
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
61 wins & 192 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Art Direction Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Cinematography Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Visual Effects Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (233) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (216) | Rotten (17)
The first thing to say… is that it is a visual wonder… But the second thing to say is nothing else is as exciting as the look of it and if there is a third thing it is this: Hugo himself is rather boringly bland and I didn’t much care for him.
August 31, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
It is a miraculous achievement that, during this home stretch, engages on levels and in ways few other films can admit to, and as such makes a decided case to be considered as one of the year’s finest achievements.
January 27, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Being a hardcore cinephile (like Scorsese) might add a layer of enjoyment, but it certainly isn’t a prerequisite for walking in the door. A sense of wonder, however, is.
January 3, 2012
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Hugo is an intensely personal statement from Scorsese, one not just about magic, but also the magic of cinema.
December 9, 2011 | Rating: B+
Matt Singer
IFC.com
TOP CRITIC
Leave it to Martin Scorsese to use 3-D not as a gimmick, but as a means of drawing us into a unique and magical environment…
December 2, 2011
Leonard Maltin
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
Hugo is cinema shining a light reverently up its own fundament.
December 2, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
David Sexton
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
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.
May 1, 2022 | Rating: 5.5
Michael Clark
Epoch Times
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)
December 1, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Stephen Silver
Tilt Magazine
The magical celebration of cinema that is the Oscar-winning Hugo marked a substantial departure for filmmaker Martin Scorsese.
November 23, 2021
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
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.
September 11, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
Ray Pride
Newcity
Has the ability entrance both young and old.
August 2, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
A lengthy history lesson rather than a real adventure.
November 30, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
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 an automaton (mechanical man) that doesn’t work without a special key. Hugo needs to find the key to unlock the secret he believes it contains. On his adventures, he meets shopkeeper George Melies, who works in the train station, and his adventure-seeking goddaughter Isabelle. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and he discovers that it unlocks memories that the old man has buried inside regarding his past.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ben Kingsley’s performance as Papa Georges/Méliès is noteworthy and brings out a superb performance.
Martin-Scorsese.jpg
