HugoMovie Reviews

Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 83 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    An exhilarating tale of magic, machines, memories, and dreams, Martin Scorsese pulls off the neatest trick of all. He marshals the marvels of modern movie technology - up to and including the dreaded 3-D - to create a love letter to the earliest of movies and, by extension, to every movie from then to now. Read full review

  • 100
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    All the actors are wonderful, including Sacha Baron Cohen as a villainous Inspector. Read full review

  • 100
    The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy

    A fabulous and passionate love letter to the cinema and its preservation framed by the strenuous adventures of two orphans in 1930s Paris. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Hugo both ticks and flies by, a marvel meant to be pulled from the cabinet and enjoyed again and again. Read full review

  • 90
    NPR |

    There is much to observe, for Hugo (the film) is a marvel of spectacle, a sensory feast steeped in cinematic lore that proves pure joy is attainable in three dimensions. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Scorsese builds Hugo in the Méliès manner, creating a complete, ravishing Parisian world on a soundstage in England and reveling in the sheer transporting joy of it. Hugo will take your breath away. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Overall, however, the manner in which the film blends the tale of an imperiled boy and the history of cinema makes for an ambitious and fanciful ride. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    What about the kids and families who have no connection to Méliès, little familiarity with Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton? Will Hugo keep them in their seats? I'm not sure. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The result is a movie that's kinetic yet slow, whose joys are architectural more than spiritual. Read full review

  • 50
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Visually Hugo is a marvel, but dramatically it's a clockwork lemon. Read full review

View more reviews for Hugo on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Spectacular book adaptation is great for tweens and up.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although this book-based period adventure about the art and magic of movies is rated PG, it may be a tad too mature for younger elementary school-aged kids. Between the orphaned main character (whose father dies in a fire), the looming threat of being sent to the orphanage by the mean station manager, and an extended sequence about the history of early film, it's unlikely that kids under 8 will follow the sophisticated story. Since author Brian Selznick's novel is aimed at middle-grade readers, that's a good age to target for the movie, too. Kids who do watch will take away worthwhile messages about perseverance and overcoming fears, and budding filmmakers will especially delight in the movie's second half. Expect a little bit of flirting and hand-holding, a few insults, and one drunk (adult) character.
  • Families can talk about the movie's message about the art of filmmaking. Are movies as transformational as Melies claims? What is the role of movies -- to entertain, to educate, to provide meaning? Do all movies fulfill that role, or only some?
  • The movie says Hugo was looking for a message from his father but ended up on a journey "home." What does that mean? How is Hugo responsible for everything that transpires?
  • Fans of the book: How is the movie different than the story? What characters or scenes didn't make it into the adaptation? What did the filmmaker add that you liked? Why are changes sometimes made when books are adapted for the big screen?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true2 Educational value: Kids will learn about the history of film, silent movies, and real-life French director Georges Melies, who made hundreds of the earliest short films in movie history.
  • message true3 Positive messages: The movie emphasizes the importance of films and how magical movies can be for their audience. Hugo's relentless faith in his father, in his mission to fix the broken, ends up being a metaphor for healing Melies' broken heart. Hugo and Isabelle discuss how everyone -- every thing -- has a purpose, and you just have to find out what it is for that purpose to be met.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Hugo and Isabelle are brave kids who overcome their fears to discover the truth. Their perseverance, even in the face of danger, sets an example for adolescents to follow their passion, seek the truth, and help fix what's broken in the world.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence and scariness: Hugo's father is killed in a fire. The station inspector sics his Doberman on unaccompanied kids and then brusquely throws them into the station jail before transferring them to an orphanage. In a nightmare, Hugo dreams that he's about to be run over by a train and then that he transforms into the automaton.
  • sex false1 Sex: Two different sets of adults flirt with each other and are shown walking hand and hand. Married Papa Georges recalls his love of Mama Jeanne, and the two embrace and kiss. Hugo and Isabel hold hands, and she kisses him on the cheek in one scene. The station inspector has humorous conversations with the policeman about marriage, infidelity, and a baby's parentage of a baby. The station inspector asks the policeman if he has "had relations" with his wife in the past year.
  • language false1 Language: Insults like "idiot," "no-good thief," "liar," and "drunk."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Uncle Claude drinks out of a flask and is obviously drunk. The inspector calls him a host of synonyms for "inebriated." People are shown with wine glasses at the train station cafe.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

Shell out for the glasses. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Hugo Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Watch All Videos

Exclusive Features

Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interviews Sir Ben Kingsley talks about playing historic movie icon Georges Melies while Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz talk about working with Martin Scorsese at such a young age.