Hugo

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Hugo's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Hugo completed by The Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 16 January 2012.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines.

ACCM review

This review of the movie Hugo contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

While attempting to steal a clock-work mouse from Georges’ toyshop, Hugo is caught by Georges and forced hand over a notebook containing detailed sketches of clock-work mechanisms. Distraught by the loss of his notebook, Hugo follows Georges home where he is befriended by Georges’ young goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), who promises that she won’t let “Papa” Georges burn the notebook. The mystery thickens when a heart shaped key given to Isabella by her godmother activates the automaton, which begins to draw images that lead Hugo and Isabella on a series of adventures. 

Themes

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Death of a parent; orphans/orphanages; magic

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

The film contains some slapstick violence shown in silent films, perilous situations involving adults and children and some low-level violence, verbal threats and intimidation by adults against children. Examples include:

• The station inspector and his Doberman guard dog chase Hugo through the station. Hugo leaps and tips over a dinner table, scaring people sitting at the table, while the inspector runs into a group of musicians destroying a double bass. The inspector roughly pushes people out of the way as he attempts to catch Hugo. Towards the end of the chase, the inspector’s leg brace becomes entangled in the door of a departing train and he is dragged along.
• A quick image of Hugo’s father opening a door and a firestorm rushing up a hall way to engulf him (we do not see him actually burnt). 
• The inspector catches a crying and distressed young boy and shoves him into a small wire cage in his office. The inspector phones the police, instructing them to come and pick up to boy and take him to an orphanage.
• While attempting to escape the pursuit of the station inspector, Hugo climbs out of a tall clock tower to dangle from the clock’s massive hands, almost falling as the hand moves. 

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of eight, including the following:

• One scene depicts a quick image of the dead waterlogged body of Hugo’s uncle next to a river. Later we hear that the body had been at the bottom of the river for several months before being discovered.
• One perilous scene depicts Hugo after attempting to escape the station inspector, jumping onto a train track to retrieve his fallen automaton. A train hurtles towards Hugo, the train’s whistle blows and sparks fly from the train’s wheels as the driver applies the brake. Hugo is pulled to safety just in time.
• In a dream scene, we see Hugo standing on a train track with a train speeding towards him. The driver slams on the train’s brakes with sparks flying from the wheels but Hugo disappears under the train (we do not see him actually hit by the train) as the train crashes through a barricade at the end of the track. The train continues to cause destruction as it careers through a crowded station with people diving to avoid being run down by the train before the train crashes out of the station’s second story window and onto the pavement below.  In his dream Hugo then transforms into an automaton. He wakes from the dream in a distressed state, drenched in sweat.
• Papa Georges has an emotional breakdown, crying in a distraught manner.
• Isabella falls down in a crowded station and is nearly trampled by a crowd of people as she calls out for Hugo’s help.
• One brief scene features a painting of a dead soldier wearing a gas mask lying on his back. The painting has a grotesque and disturbing quality.
• Hugo jumps onto a train track to retrieve his fallen automaton. A train hurtles towards him, the train whistle blows and sparks fly from the wheels as the driver applies the brakes. Hugo is pulled to safety by the station inspector just in time.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Children in this age group may also be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Nothing of concern for this age group

Product placement

None of concern

Sexual references

The film contains a couple of low-level sexual references. Examples include:

• The station inspector talks to a policeman on the phone about his wife leaving him and whether her unborn child is his

Nudity and sexual activity

The film contains no nudity and some low-level flirting. Examples include:

• In several scenes, an older man subtly flirts with an older woman, but the flirtation always turns comical when the woman’s dog tries to bite the man. To solve his dilemma, the man buys a dog of his own and the two dogs show interest in each other.
• Isabella kisses Hugo on the cheek, and the pair hold hands in several scenes. 

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

• Hugo’s uncle repeatedly takes swigs from a hip flask and acting in an intoxicated manner, staggering and bumping into things. On several occasions we he is referred to as a drunk
• We also see Hugo’s uncle holding a cigarette between his lips and sitting in a chair with an ashtray full of cigarette butts.
• In a couple of scenes we see cigarette smoke billowing from a restaurant.

Coarse language

The film contains no coarse language, but does contain several instances of name calling. For example:

•  “little urchin with filthy little mitts”, “simple minded”, “idiot”, “oaf”, “bloated buffoon”

The movie's message

Hugo is a fantasy action adventure with a great cast suited to an audience ranging from younger teenagers to adults. The film includessome scary scenes, mature themes and a sophisticated storyline (the second half of the film relates to the silent film industry) unsuited to under tens. The film’s running time of 126 minutes is also too long for younger viewers.

The main message from this movie is that we all have a part to play in life, like a cog in a clock-work mechanism, and it is that purpose that gives our life meaning. Parents may wish to discuss the importance of finding a purpose in life. Hugo believes that people who do not have a purpose in life are like a broken cog.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• Perseverance and selflessness: Hugo refuses to give up regardless of the dangers he must face, and it is through his perseverance that he is able to discover truth and help others.