This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Moonlighting
Plot Overview
In the late 1920s, a 12-year-old orphan
boy, one Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield,) has taken up clandestine
residence in the forgotten in-wall apartments built for
workers at the cavernous Gare Montparnasse railway
station, Paris. Upon his father's demise, he'd been apprenticed by
his Uncle Claude (Ray Winstone) to help maintain its
multitudinous clockworks. He looks down at the people
below, but nobody notices him—cats look up but people don't.
His tippling (gai)
uncle up and disappeared, but as long as the clocks keep running so
will his life unremarked.
He continues to tinker with a project
his late, clock maker father (Jude Law) and he were working on, the
restoration of an automaton discovered abandoned in a museum attic.
Magicians once used these wind-up dolls for entertainment
and show. This particular one sits poised with a writing instrument
in hand as if to deliver a message, perhaps from his father. He's
been garnering parts for it from a toy store below, but the owner
one Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley) has gotten wise and recovers some
of them and, more importantly, the kid's notebook with the plans
in it. They both want it but the adult prevails.
With the promise of an
adventure, Hugo enlists Papa Georges's bookish goddaughter Isabelle
(Chloë Grace Moretz) to help him get it back. Once repaired the
automaton is sill missing a critical key in the shape of a heart to
start it. Isabelle is wearing such a key in a pendant that her godmother
Mama Jeanne (Helen McCrory) had given her. Jeanne had gotten it from
her husband Papa Georges. The kids want to unravel the mystery, but
the lady wants to protect her husband's privacy.
Ideology
Such is the worthy example set by the wee
munchkin we're put in mind of, (Prov. 30:24) “There be four things
which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:”
(Prov. 30:25) “The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” The first good idea is to start productive labor early, in the summer of life. At an earlier age than twelve, Hugo is seen helping his father in his time-keeping shop. He started pushing a broom but has gone on to technical tasks. Then he helped his uncle, eventually taking over. Finally, Papa Georges conscripts him to “work for each item you stole.” He's to, “start tomorrow,” but he picks up a broom to “start today.” That and he already has his uncle's job. It's another kid (Shaun Aylward) who gets nabbed for thievery and sent to the dreaded orphanage.
(Prov. 30:26) “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” Location is of utmost importance in one's chosen field. Hugo holes up in the hollow walls, like those little conies in the rocks.
(Prov. 30:27)
“The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by
bands.” Having an informal support network is everything.
Reluctantly, Hugo teams up with Isabelle to recover his notebook,
but that leads to another subject and an historical figure M. Méliès. Isabelle's friendly
book dealer M. Labisse (Christopher
Lee) sends her to the Film Academy Library (“You'll find all
you need to know about movies there,”) where they find him listed
in a book and meet the book's author Rene Tabard (Michael Stuhlbarg)
who believed he was killed in the war. But he wasn't,
though now he is a broken man, and the kids know him … know
him quite well. Tabard being a big fan of his opens doors and
possibilities.
(Prov. 30:28)
“The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings'
palaces.” The last example from this proverb has to do with casting lines to make
a place for oneself in this big world. Hugo repairs a device
that was important to someone at one time, then he hustles around,
tossing about to bring it to him who will ultimately become his benefactor
keeping him out of the (dead end) orphanage.
Production Values
“” (2011) was directed by Martin Scorsese. It was written by John Logan who based it on the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. One of the producers was Johnny Depp. It stars Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz and Christopher Lee. We witnessed an excellent performance by the boy Butterfield who had great chemistry with the girl Moretz. The rest of the cast did well, too. Sacha Baron Cohen in particular gives an engaging performance as the train station inspector out to nab the odd orphan and woo a pretty lass.
MPAA rated it PG for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking. It was filmed at Peterborough Train Station, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. It had a fitting musical score by Howard Shore. It's 2 hours and 6 minutes long.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This movie was masterful, an unfolding mystery you don't want to miss. It's family-friendly but likely to prove boring to small fry. I give it two thumbs up.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability for children: Suitable for children with guidance. Special effects: Absolutely amazing special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Several suspenseful moments. Overall movie rating: Five stars out of five.
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