Hugo is a more of a tribute to cinema rather than a movie itself, by Martin Scorsese. The movie has a warm story which unfolds slowly and makes the audience immerse in its aroma one scene at a time. One of the best movies technically be it visual effects or sound design without the excessive use of CGI graphics michael bay style. Quite unlike the scorsese most know of. He pays his tribute to the magical art of filmmaking in a very subtle manner. Though gets slow in the middle and not if you want a fast paced 'entertainer', but rather a soft, subtle narrative which hits you emotionally.
Hugo is a story of Hugo, a little orphan boy who lives at a strain station in paris and winds clocks for a living. He inherits a sort of a robot from his father and finds his purpose in life to be 'fixing' things and later people too. He meets Papa George who runs a toy shop at the station and has a past of his own which he does not wish to get reminded of. Then the movie takes a rather philosophical view of movie making as a form of magic and gets a bit biographical. Martin shows us what it is like to make a movie and how it is a privilege to be a part of this industry. He shows us how he got inspired by the movies and started off. How movies are just not about telling stories but to showcase your dreams and show them to the world. How 'magical' it is to be a part of this world. And he makes this tribute in the most subtle manner possible, without geeting too preachy about it.
Technically, one of the finest movies in recent times, without the ho halla of CGI graphics or Jarring background score. Subtlety at its best. You feel so immersed in the sequences, its no joke. Recommended to watch in 3D and possibly an IMAX theater. Ben Kingsley is the pick of the lot in the performance department. He portrays the role of papa george without getting too emotional and preachy. Again, very subtle but impactful. Martin is the Hero of the movie actually because of his effortless style of storytelling and calmness by which the movie progresses.
Though it's a fine piece of cinema, it does tend to feel a bit stretched in the middle, where you wish the plot should be unraveled a bit quicker.You seem to get lost in the narrative and would hope the second half to be a bit faster. Even if you go and grab popcorn, the movie stays there itself. Nothing really moves for a good 15-20 minutes.
Overall: An absolute recommend to watch if you like subtlety in cinema and are a movie fan in general though gets a big boring in the middle. Not if you like fast paced mainstream entertainers only. Go for 3D.
Feel-O-Meter : 7.5/10