First of all, no matter what all those critics say, this is not a family movie. It’s not the type of movie you can chomp popcorn during and just relax. Instead, Hugo leans more toward historical fiction with a focus on the actor/director/film maker Georges Méliès. Unless you keep in mind the educational content of the film, you will not appreciate it at all.
The first hour was horribly slow and all three of us were giving each other confused looks. Some may say it was necessary for character development and to set the proper stage for the real plot but it took so long! Plus, the portrayal of people and sets were quite eccentric. As for age-appropriate material, there were several things that may disturbing to viewers under 12 or 13. Hugo has a horrible life with his father being horribly engulfed in a raging fire, his drunkard uncle abandoned him to do his job while he dies and decomposes on the street, and has a frightening nightmare that was extremely intense. I also understand that Hugo had to steal to survive but I did not appreciate the fact that his ‘gift’ to his friend was to pick the lock of the back door to a movie theater and sneak in. The treatment of children and orphans was also harsh, something that may bother younger ones.
Hugo was more of a display of graphic and cinematic technique than a family film to watch over and over again. Also, as mentioned before, it is has much potential for upper elementary to middle school students. Much care was given to the time period covered and the characters involved at different stages of their lives. After reading the book, watching the film would be great for a follow-up lesson or compare/contrast report. It could also be used as a basis for a biography of the book author, Georges Méliès, or Martin Scorsese or during a unit study of World War I.
My husband and I were able to see how the movie tied together and it spurred on further interest in who Georges Méliès actually was. My daughter didn’t like the movie. Though she ‘endured’ watching it to the end, it was more of a letdown of wasted family time to her. Still, since basic plot is interesting and we decided to borrow the book from the library to check out the original story and artwork. Unless you have children that really love history and can sit through two hours of dialogue and imagery, you may want to save Hugo as a supplementary school project versus happy together time.
13 comments
I’ve seen the previews and I must admit it did not look like something my family would be interested in. I think sometimes directors make these movies to appeal more to other film makers than the public. I’m sure my son wouldn’t sit and watch this one. Thanks for the review & possibly saving us $4.00 to rent!!
Haha – so true! I’m sure it was probably cool in 3D but, even then, you can only be wowed once. You’re welcome 🙂
Might be a movie that my daughter would like.
Really? Well, more power to her then!
Sorry it wasn’t a big hit. Was it educational enough to count for a history lesson?
I think so. We did some wikipedia searching afterwards so that was good enough 🙂
My son and I were just talking about this today. He watched it recently, and he thought it was going to be a fantasy, but of course, it wasn’t. He thought it was kind of like an homage to the beginning of films.
I guess it was like that. The director they mentioned was like the father of sci-fi so it was cool to see some of the original films he made. Isn’t it funny how the trailers didn’t depict what the actual movie was even about?!
My son is 9 and he LOVED it. He actually made me rent it twice. I really couldn’t follow it (I was busy cooking and cleaning) but he was telling me all about it and really enjoyed it. I guess every kid is different (and mine is a serious nerd lol).
Haha, well, I’m sure he just has different interests and I’m glad he liked the movie. Yes, all kids are different but I hate it when film makers use the term ‘family film’ so loosely without really understanding that fact.
I agree! They call many things family films that ARE NOT!!
I liked it- my husband did not. I did love the visual effects though. I also wanted to come and thank you so much for your genuine comment on my parenting post on Tuesday. It really means so much to me:)
It’s really not film for everyone but there are many good points. Did you see the movie in 3D? I’m sure that was probably much more impressive than seeing all the happenings in the train station in 2D like we did. As for the comment – likewise! It’s always nice to read an actual comment versus the “wow” or “great shot” or “thanks for sharing” kind!
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