Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Hugo 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 2, 2023

As downright shocking and maybe even heretical as it may sound, and with an admission that both articles and actual awards with the very word I'm about to use have been written about and/or bestowed upon him, for some reason Martin Scorsese is arguably not regularly thought of as a "visionary" director, at least in the same way that someone like, say, James Cameron might be. In that regard it's rather interesting that in his commentary track included on this release Jon Spira actually quotes Cameron as having told Scorsese that out of the "third wave" of 3D offerings which Spira avers includes Avatar 3D and Gravity 3D along with the film currently under discussion, that Hugo was his favorite. And Hugo most definitely is a visionary phantasmagoria that is a testament to just how versatile Scorsese is, something that may be underappreciated due to certain similarities in themes and even presentational styles in some of his other work. Hugo was a rather daring departure from what some probably considered the "Scorsese norm" of something a bit closer to realism, but that may be one reason why it's such an incredibly engaging and viscerally involving piece. Arrow is revisiting the film, which has had some previous 1080 releases in both 2D and 3D, offering this nice package which includes a 4K UHD disc, and two 1080 discs, one with the feature in both 2D and 3D, and another with bonus features.

Hugo is a very special film for me personally because quite by accident I stumbled across the gorgeous original hard cover edition of The Adventure of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (a guy whose surname virtually screams "visionary"), and took it home to my then quite young second son, who instantly fell in love with it and spent the next day or two devouring it. The book, which verged on graphic novel territory, was inherently brilliant, but its connection to film history courtesy of focal character Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley) seemed to augur an unavoidable film adaptation. That said, who would have instantly thought of Martin Scorsese as the guy who would make it happen? I certainly wouldn't have, and in fact didn't, which made this ultimate production all the more amazingly wonderful for me.

For those unacquainted with the film, Martin Liebman's Hugo Blu-ray review of Paramount's own Blu-ray release provides more plot information.

Hugo 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's 1080 presentation.

Hugo is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only some fairly generic information on the transfer:

Hugo is presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD MA 7.1 and 2.0 stereo audio. The film is presented on UHD in 4K (2160p) in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, while the film is presented on Blu-ray in high definition (1080p) in both 3D and 2D versions. All feature masters were supplied by Paramount.

As that verbiage mentions, this package also offers the film on a 1080 disc featuring both a 2D and 3D presentation, and for my thoughts on that resolution and those two presentational formats, please look at the video section of my Hugo 3D Blu-ray review, though I'll cut to the chase and state that I had no major issues with the crosstalk problem that evidently afflicted Paramount's own 3D Blu-ray release, though there are some passing crosstalk anomalies still on tap. The 4K UHD presentation is often very gorgeous, though the increased resolution probably only helps to make some of the presentational aspects even more artificial, which perhaps in a subliminal sense only supports some of the meta aspects of the film. Fine detail enjoys the same kind of subtle upticks that are often spotted from 2K DIs, and some of the intricate patterns that Scorsese enjoys exploiting throughout the production design show at least marginal improvement. There is still some softness attending some of the complex digitially composited effects shots, but just looking at the opening fly through of the train station reveals all sorts of improved detail even in the quickly passing passengers and even printed material. That same improvement is evident throughout the rest of the presentation. HDR and/or Dolby Vision do offer some highlights in the palette, though I'd argue not by any leaps and/or bounds. Instead, there's a very slight new emphasis on some of the blues and browns that are so prevalent throughout, and the entire look of the film in 4K UHD struck me as just a bit "chillier", tending to look cool, blue and icy, which at least fits some of the wintry ambience. There are some very minor deficits in shadow definition in some of the interior dimly lit scenes, but even here to my eyes the 4K UHD presentation showed some improvement over the 1080 presentation.

Hugo 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hugo features a wonderfully immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track that appears to be virtually interchangeable with the one on the Paramount disc, at least according to the description Marty offers in his review of that release. As Marty mentions, surround activity is noticeable from the get go with the train sounds and then the gear cog noises wafting around the listener, and that same attention to detail pervades this really intricately designed track. I'm almost loathe to admit this, but I'm not a total fan of Howard Shore's music for this film (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa), but it sounds wonderfully whimsical and full bodied throughout. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Hugo 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One (2160) offers the main feature in 4K UHD, along with:

• Audio Commentary by Jon Spira


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:18)

Disc Two (1080) offers the main feature in either 2D or 3D, along with:

• Audio Commentary by Jon Spira


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:18)

Disc Three (1080)

• Interviews

  Brian Selznick (HD; 54: 49) is a great newly produced interview with the novel's author.

  
  

  Robert Richardson (HD; 40:02) features director of photography Robert Richardson in another newly produced interview.

  
  

  Howard Shore (HD; 13:49) offers the composer in another newly produced interview. Some of what he describes sounds very similar to Powell and Pressburger's "composed film", which was a formative inspiration for Scorsese, as Scorsese himself has described.

• Ian Christie on Hugo (HD; 23:12) is a wonderful "up close and personal" assessment of the film by Christie, who was on set during filming.


• Secret Machines: Hugo and Film Preservation (HD; 18:17) is a visual essay by filmmaker and critic Scout Tafoya.


• Creating New Worlds (HD; 37:43) offers film journalist Julien Dupuy discussing the life of Georges Méliès. Subtitled in English.


• Papa Georges Made Movies (HD; 10:05) features film historian Pamela Hutchinson and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.


• Méliès at the Time of Hugo (HD; 7:43) is another visual essay, this one by commentator Jon Spira who helped bring the legendary filmmaker's autobiography to the public. Spira discusses what was actually happening in Méliès' life during the period depicted in the film.


• Shoot the Moon - The Making of Hugo (HD; 19:48) is an archival piece.


• The Cinemagician: Georges Méliès (HD; 15:40) is an archival look at Méliès.


• The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo (HD; 12:45) is an archival piece focusing on the film's automaton.


• Big Effects, Small Scale (HD; 5:54) is an archival piece looking at some of the visual effects.


• Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime (HD; 3:33) is an archival piece focusing on Cohen.


• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally, the keepcase houses a folded mini poster and Arrow's typically nicely appointed insert booklet, including an essay by Farran Smith Nehme. Finally, packaging features a slipcover.

Hugo 4K + 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As is discussed in some of the supplements on this disc, and as even I mention above, Hugo was in many ways an "unexpected" offering from Martin Scorsese, and that perhaps makes it even more of a treat. Arrow provides an impressive release with solid technical merits and some outstanding supplements. Highly recommended.