Hugo - What's The Purpose?

(2011) ★★★☆☆

Imagine the world’s like a big machine and we’re its parts. Since a machine doesn’t contain extra parts so as to work perfectly, meaning we’re all here for a particular reason. We can’t be born extras. That’s how Hugo sees the world, and is also the only part of the film that really interests me after all. Hugo’s a kid looking for the message his father left him. He needs it so bad to be able to carry on. He, first of all, has to fix an automaton that seems to be the focus of the film, but you know it’s not.

Martin Scorsese’s famous for serious crime dramas, not something like ‘Hugo’ that’s so much like a child’s play. Don’t think of it as one of those adventures for kids. It’s by no means exciting. The slow-paced story is plain and boring. Characters are dull. Things seem to go awkwardly and out of focus. The only thing worth a checkout is its cinematography. No wonder it’s only got technical awards from the Academy this year.

Movies, once we thought they’d be nothing but a passing fad when invented, have had a great influence on how we think; how we see the world and ourselves. Not only are they to entertain us, they’re also to rekindle our spirits; to boost our imagination; to enable us to dream much larger than we should. That’s the purpose of movies. And the purpose of ‘Hugo’ is to remind us of how important movies have been, and will be, to us.

So what’s the exact purpose of us being here then? You know everything happens for a reason. There must be a reason for us to be here as well. But what is it? Some think they’ve found it. Some think they never will. Some are still looking for it. No matter what, it’s meant to keep us curious to drive us onwards. Like it or not, there’s no such a fixed answer, and we should be very glad about that indeed.