# Hugo - Blu-ray Review



## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8560[/img]*Title: Hugo
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: John Logan, Brian Selznick
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: February 28, 2012* 

*Movie:* :4.5stars:
*Video:* :5stars:
*Audio:* :5stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 
*HTS Overall Score:*94



[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8561[/img]*Summary:* 

During the winter of 1931 in Paris, France, Hugo Cabret (Butterfield) spends his time making sure that all the clocks in a large train station are in perfect working order. The clock maintenance was his father's job until he unexpectedly passed away, leaving Hugo to tend to it for himself. Despite the death and absence of his father, no one seemed the wiser, so Hugo decides to secretively take his place. Day in and day out Hugo must venture through the labyrinth inside the walls of the train station in order to make his way to each clock to maintain them. Utilizing air ducts and small passages, he also knows he must stay hidden from the chief station inspector (Cohen), who seems to have a knack for seeking out the orphaned children wandering the station.

After his father's death, Hugo was left with nothing, except for a broken mechanical doll, called an automaton, and a journal filled with diagrams to put the doll back together. Hugo is certain that the automaton has a hidden message left for him by his father before he died. In order to mend the automaton he steals toys from the Station's Toy Shop, owned by Papa Georges (Kingsley). With those toys, Hugo disassembles them in order to find the proper pieces to make the automaton whole again. On a routine outing to acquire a toy, he is apprehended by Papa Georges and Georges takes Hugo's journal. Devastated, Hugo tries so desperately to retrieve his notebook and even follows Papa Georges back to his home pleading for its return.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8562[/img]Curiously, Georges' god daughter, Isabelle (Moretz), decides to aid Hugo in his quest to get his journal back from Papa Georges. Georges finally agrees that if Hugo assists him at the toy shop, he can earn his diary back. As he works as the toy shop assistant he manages his free time continuing to fix the automaton as best as he can. As Hugo grows closer to Isabelle they start to unravel a mysterious past that Georges has kept hidden for many years. This past that has all but been forgotten puts burden and hardship on Georges as he tries so desperately to forget what had happened.

The adventurous tale of 'Hugo' is based on the novel of the same title written by Brian Selznick. I had not heard of the novel, nor did I even know much about the film when I started watching it. The only knowledge I had of this film was the title and that it was nominated for eleven Academy Awards this year. Even for the first act of the movie I wasn't quite sure what I was to expect, but I was still completely fascinated by where the story was taking me. As the storyline unravels I found myself more and more enamored by the overall magic. Scorsese has done a marvelous job at recreating this fictional tale and made it an absolute inspiration to watch. A part of me wishes I had the chance to watch this during its theatrical run, but another part of me is glad to have experienced this on blu-ray.

*Rating:* 

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

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8563[/img]*Video:* :5stars:

Paramount has put out some amazing-looking titles this year and 'Hugo' is most certainly no exception to that statement. The fantastic world created in this movie is given additional flair from this exquisite video transfer. The dimensionality of the film is off the chart and while I did not watch this in 3D, the image still managed to separate itself from the screen. Visual detail is remarkable and especially noticeable in the wrinkles and imperfections of the more-seasoned actors on the screen. The on-screen imagery is so busy at times that it is surprising the resolution manages to keep up and never lets down on the detail; this is especially apparent when looking at the intricacies of the clocks and other mechanical devices used throughout the film. Colors also add to the three-dimensional look of the film. Hugo's eyes are a mesmerizing blue color and clothing saturation are astounding. Even with the vibrancy, detail is not lost within those deeply saturated colors.


[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8564[/img]*Audio:* :5stars:

I am happy to report that the audio fares just as well as the video. While there aren't many opportunities for loud and boisterous effects in this film the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio still manages to be a joyous experience. I mentioned in the video review that the film is so busy at times, and similarly to the video, the audio captures all the hustle and bustle perfectly. As Hugo makes his way through the labyrinth in the train station, noises constantly barrage the ears with clanking, clinking, hissing, and whirring. All these noises also are portrayed in spatial realism, further immersing the audience into the magic of the film.


[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8565[/img]*Extras:* :3stars:

•	"Shoot the Moon: The Making of Hugo" Featurette
•	"The Cinemagician: Georges Melies" Featurette
•	"Big Effects Small Scale" Featurette
•	"The Mechanical Man at the Heart of 'Hugo'" Featurette
•	"Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime" Featurette


*Overall:* :5stars:

'Hugo' is a magical film that is based in realism. There is so much fantasy mixed into the film that made it so easy to be taken out of my reality into the world on screen. The Oscar nominations for this film are well-deserved and what makes this movie sets this movie apart from the rest is the fact that doesn't use conventional Hollywood hooks, like sex, huge explosions, foul language to capture the audience. Each actor (and surprisingly even Sacha Baron Cohen) all seem to capture the magic that Scorsese attempts to portray through this film. With a video and audio transfer that does this film justice I am even glad that I watched this film on blu-ray instead of in the theaters. With all that this movie has going for it I certainly have no hesitation on recommending this film to everyone.


*Recommendation: Buy It!​*






Official Blu-Ray Reviews Scoring


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks for the review Jon! :T

I already bought this one, but I have not watched it yet in either the theater or at home as this is one of the 1st I want to watch once my theater is up and running - can't wait! :bigsmile:


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

nice review Jon, really pumping them out lately, puttin the rest of us to shame


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## TheLaw612 (Jan 17, 2012)

Nice review! I've been wanting to check this out but the wife doesn't seem interested. Going to have to watch it on my own I guess.


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## Infrasonic (Sep 28, 2010)

Good review. Hugo was very well done visually, the cinematography in the opening sequence was impressive for which it deservedly won an Oscar. The sound mix throughout the film was also done very well but should not have beaten Transformers 3 for the Oscar (I guess the quality of the overall movies take precedence!).

Sacha Baron Cohen did a great job and really added to my enjoyment of the film.

Overall it's a good family movie that you won't likely find yourself falling asleep watching.


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## ozar (Feb 12, 2012)

Infrasonic said:


> Sacha Baron Cohen did a great job and really added to my enjoyment of the film.
> 
> Overall it's a good family movie that you won't likely find yourself falling asleep watching.


Not ever having been a fan of Cohen in the past, I was surprised and delighted by his work in this one, too. Kingsley contributed a very good performance, as usual.

Otherwise, this film started off rather slowly for me, and didn't really become interesting until about half-way through the movie. Unfortunately, there was a bit of ghosting in the 3D version, but it wasn't overly bothersome, while the remainder of the 3D effects had a good overall balance. The 2D version looked very nice, indeed.

My personal score for this one would be about a 6 out of 10, so I'm still undecided whether purchasing this movie was good idea, but I might watch it another time or two in the future and end up with a higher opinion of it.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Watched it on New Years Eve at the local drive-in along with Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (which I liked). I was confused and thought it was Adventures of Tin Tin instead of Hugo: impressive looking, even at the drive-in. I always enjoy Ben Kingsley, and other actors were very believable.

Are you absolutely sure the run time is 126 minutes? The pace of the film made it feel more like 240 minutes that night...


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

IMO this movie was way overhyped. After reading the reviews I expected way more. Audio and video were both excellent however the story was slow to develop and long to conclude. I was pleasantly surprised by Sasha Cohen's performance as it was outstanding.


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## typ44q (Apr 7, 2008)

I have not seen the movie yet and want to pick up the 3D version but I have been waiting for it to go on sale. Seems ridiculous that the 3D version is almost double the cost of the 2D version.


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## traybo (May 2, 2012)

I enjoyed this movie a lot. Excellent visuals


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

My wife and I gave it 3 out of 5.
The story of Hugo was just sorta worked in around the homage to the old flicks. 
Which was very contrived in itself, of course the homage to the old movies is the reason this movie was made in the first place.
Like many Oscar movies way over hyped.

Our rating system is:
1 - terrible, turned it off and did not finish the movie
2 - not very good, but watched it all the way through to see what happens
3 - good, a movie that is entertaining and enjoyable, but we would not want to watch it again
4 - very good, would watch it again or if flipping channels and it was on would stop and watch 
5 - excellent, would like to own the movie


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## thucker (May 25, 2012)

Entertaining movie with good sound effects.


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## Jules Winnfield (Jul 8, 2012)

Highly overrated movie! I bought this movie without first renting it from Netflix (very unusual for me) based soley on that fact that it was directed by Martin Scorsese and was sorely disappointed. The use of 3D was admittedly impressive but not enough to make up for the dull material.

This movie felt very disjointed to me. Like two movies haphazardly spliced together. And let me add, this is a very long film (2 hrs 6 mins). The first part deals with Hugo's attempts to repair an automaton his late father was working on before his untimely death. 

Just when I was ready to claw my eyes out the movie takes an abrupt turn leading to its second part. This second half of the film then deals with Ben Kingsley's character's journey to rediscover his love of cinema aided by Hugo.

While I realize plot shifts and movie sleight of hand are common in movies and used to keep the audience on its toes, it's application here feels ham-handed at best. Before viewing this movie I never would have thought that I would describe a Scorsese film as ham-handed or haphazard, but that is the only way to describe this movie in my most humble opinion. 

It seems to me the only people that would appreciate a film of this sort would be those in the film industry themselves. Perhaps that explains the overly effusive praise heaped on this movie by movie critics. I'm sure it also didn't hurt that this was a Scorsese-backed project. As all movie aficionados know past success and reputation sometimes earns select directors and producers the benefit of doubt it the eyes of critics, industry insiders and the average moviegoer.

In closing, as I said I found this movie to be a HUGE disappointment and plan on trading it towards a future purchase.


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## Angeldawn5 (Aug 28, 2012)

Great review. I really enjoyed this one. Visually stunning, culturally accurate, and I love the way the story lines all clicked together at the end. Plus, I was a huge fan of Chloe Grace Moretz in KickA** and I'm really glad to see her in such a different role.


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## Jules Winnfield (Jul 8, 2012)

Angeldawn5 said:


> Great review. I really enjoyed this one. Visually stunning, culturally accurate, and I love the way the story lines all clicked together at the end. Plus, I was a huge fan of Chloe Grace Moretz in KickA** and I'm really glad to see her in such a different role.


I can't say that I've seen Chloe Grace Moretz in Kick A**, but I remember seeing her work in "Let Me In", the U.S. remake of the Swedish film "Let The Right One In" (great movie). I appreciated her portrayal of a child vampire who comes to form a friendship with a lonely, awkward neighboring boy. She managed to convey a childlike innocence with a hidden darkness lurking beneath. 

If you haven't watched either film I humbly recommend both, though Moretz is only in the U.S. remake.


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## Angeldawn5 (Aug 28, 2012)

Jules Winnfield said:


> I can't say that I've seen Chloe Grace Moretz in Kick A**, but I remember seeing her work in "Let Me In", the U.S. remake of the Swedish film "Let The Right One In" (great movie). I appreciated her portrayal of a child vampire who comes to form a friendship with a lonely, awkward neighboring boy. She managed to convey a childlike innocence with a hidden darkness lurking beneath.
> 
> If you haven't watched either film I humbly recommend both, though Moretz is only in the U.S. remake.


I have both of these in my collection, and have watched the one with Moretz as well. AMAZING performance on her part, to be sure. I guess it seems to me that the whole genre doesn't get much respect in "serious" acting circles, so she might not be recognized for that role as much as for Hugo. I really have high hopes for her long term career. Of course, I said the same of Dakota Fanning ...


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## jdent02 (Jan 13, 2012)

For once I actually think the academy got it right when picking their annual Oscar favorite. You can feel how personal the project was to Scorsese and he brings a suprisingly blood and F-bomb free magic to this movie. Sure, it's kinda corny in places and the ending wraps everything up a bit too perfectly, but overall this is one of his best, in my opinion.


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## Bodyslam (Feb 22, 2015)

If you thought the movie looked good, you might want to give a nod to the cinematographer: Robert Richardson.

I saw it in the theater soon after it was released, which was November 2011. I liked the movie. Saw it in 3D, had mixed feelings about that part.


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## typ44q (Apr 7, 2008)

typ44q said:


> I have not seen the movie yet and want to pick up the 3D version but I have been waiting for it to go on sale. Seems ridiculous that the 3D version is almost double the cost of the 2D version.


I finally did pick up this movie in 3D and really enjoyed it. I thought the use of 3D was excellent compared to most other movies. The opening scene was especially impressive in 3D.


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