8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ray WinstoneAdventure | 100% |
Family | 94% |
Period | 48% |
Mystery | 9% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Come and dream with me.
Hugo is a film about secrets and discoveries, forgotten pasts and hopeful futures. Those qualities reflect both the characters and the world
of
filmmaking itself. Director Martin Scorsese's Hugo lovingly embraces the medium of film in a way that's largely been lost through the years.
His film plays as if a tribute to the history of and the possibilities inherent to the medium, the former, it sometimes seems, largely forgotten and the
latter often sacrificed in
the name of a quick buck in the world of today's cinema-as-big-business. Hugo celebrates the artistic visions of cinema's greatest craftsmen
and the wide-eyed wonder at the spectacle not just of the science behind moving images, but the sense of awe they engender when a film is crafted
with a passion for storytelling, a love for the medium, and an appreciation for the audience. Hugo serves to remind viewers what a beautiful
medium film can be, of the power it holds, of the magic it wields. Scorsese's film, based on Brian Selznick's acclaimed book "The Invention of Hugo
Cabret," is a rare gem capable of restoring one's lost love for film, a beacon of hope in a darkening cinematic landscape where vision
and
passion often seem, at best, lost under dictated formula; budgets; time constraints; and a cold, heartless detachment -- by both the filmmakers and
the audience -- from the true power of film. Hugo represents the embodiment of what cinema can, was, and should be. The picture is
magnificently honest,
faultlessly assembled, incessantly fun, unendingly touching, and purely magical. It's a film for the ages, for all ages, an altogether brilliant and
spellbinding attraction made with the same sort of love and care it depicts through its captivating tale of discovery and wonder.
Unlocking a mystery.
Hugo's 1080p Blu-ray is sure to dazzle and delight as much as the movie. This is nothing short of an astonishing transfer, one that will mesmerize even the most seasoned Blu-ray watcher. The digital photography never appears flat, glossy, or lifeless; on the contrary, it's as beautifully detailed as film, one of the true revelations of the power of precision digital filmmaking. Clarity is astonishing; there's not a soft shot or even soft object in the movie. Details far and wide -- whether in the train station or as seen in the overhead shots of Paris -- are spectacularly sharp and crisp. Close-up detailing is even more amazing. Not only are facial texture marvelous and clothing textures faultless, but the transfer's ability to capture and display the finest little nuances of worn gears, rusted metal, scuffed floors, and rough bricks is marvelous. The entire movie benefits greatly from the transfer's ability to capture the smallest little details in absolute clarity; it only benefits the amazing world Scorsese has created and the movie just wouldn't be the same presented with reduced visual clarity through a lower resolution. Likewise, colors are marvelous. While the palette isn't sparkly or bright, it captures a throwback authenticity beautifully. Though the gears and gadgets and the general layout of the train station favor something of a copper- and gray-heavy palette, the transfer has no problems with Lisette's colorful flowers or the inspector's bright blue uniform. Just as important, flesh tones are marvelously balanced and black levels are rock-solid. There's not a pixel out of place with this one; this is pure visual delight and Blu-ray perfection. Hugo deserves nothing less.
Hugo's DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack is up to the challenge of matching the video quality throughout. Indeed, Paramount's soundtrack makes full use of the entire stage -- the extra two surround channels included -- to create a seamless sound field that creates with great clarity and attention to detail the Paris train station, the mechanical objects, and other niceties scattered throughout the picture. Listeners will receive a quick sample of the track's prowess in the opening moments; a train maneuvers its way into the soundstage, followed by the precise clicking and grinding of working gears that float about the entire area. The track excels with similar ambient effects; its ability to paint such a remarkably vivid sonic picture of the station knows no limits. Each scene is an experience of precise sound engineering where footfalls, chatter, and the general din of the busy area are such that the listener is transported into the middle of the movie. Few tracks feature as many precisely-placed effects as Hugo; most may not be of the loud or excessive variety, but the track is always scene-specific and recreates with the utmost care and attention to detail every last little element. Heavier effects -- a large crash sequence in chapter thirteen -- are equally precise even with the added energy and chaos. Music delivery is perfectly spaced and immersive, playing with superb clarity as each note floats effortlessly into the listening area. Dialogue is steady and accurate as it plays from the center channel, with a few playful moments of expert reverberation capturing the size and scope of the station. This is a wonderful track that's every bit as good as the accompanying video.
Hugo contains several good featurettes, though most viewers will be left wanting much more.
Hugo is a special movie that's a tribute to the medium and perhaps the greatest accomplishment of one of the most accomplished filmmakers to ever step behind a camera. Martin Scorsese's Hugo mesmerizes from beginning to end with its scope, authenticity, completeness, warmth, sincerity, and attention to detail. The movie has been faultlessly crafted, seamlessly realized, and amazingly acted. The story never disappoints, the themes are true, and the picture's heart is constant. It's the embodiment of pure, wondrous cinema, cinema as it was and should be, a true labor of love that's not to be missed and made to be experienced. Here's hoping Hugo is awarded the Best Picture Oscar; after all, how could a movie about the beauty of movies, a picture that so lovingly celebrates the medium, be denied? Paramount's Blu-ray release of Hugo doesn't contain as many extras as some might wish to see, but the quality of the film and the dazzling technical presentations make this one of the finest Blu-ray releases out there. Hugo earns my highest recommendation.
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