THE BOTTOM LINE: HUGO

HUGO

STARRING:  Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee and Jude Law

DIRECTOR:  Martin Scorsese

GENRE:  Biography 

SYNOPSIS:   A look at the life of Parisian Georges Melies; a magician and early film pioneer whose work and fame faded with the onset of WWI.

RATING:  PG

RUNNING TIME:  126 Mins

THE GOOD:  I am not a fan of Director Martin Scorsese… And as usual, he pushes a little too hard making the magical seem magical.  But, this film did win me over. 

Hats off to Ben Kingsley (GHANDI and SCHLINDLER’S LIST); this is his film despite the advertising and the film’s title. 

Sacha Baron Cohen also shines as he continues his reign as master scene-stealer.

Unfortunately, rising star Chloe Grace Moretz isn’t served well by Scorsese’s strong hand.  Her forced performance isn’t easy to watch.

THE BAD:  This is the second film this year about a troubled orphaned boy, a lost key and a dead father… 

THE UGLY:  Asa Butterfield’s dark hair looks annoyingly unnatural; like a bad dye job.

MY SCORE:  ***

(3 OUT OF 5 STARS)