Every Martin Scorsese Film Ranked Worst To Best

A surprising financial failure upon its release, Hugo is to date the only purely child-friendly movie Scorsese has ever conjured - and what a film it is.

Despite a slight down with its mostly one-dimensional characters (the exception being Ben Kingsley's Georges Melies), Hugo boasts some impressive visuals and shows Scorsese at his most indulgent, celebrating cinema with a deft understanding of cinema history and a passion the director has carried with him his entire career.

Few pure film lovers can argue with the results on display. It's dazzling but also thrilling, and the sharp story moves effortlessly from emotional peak to emotional peak without resorting to forced melodrama. Hugo is pure heart, and a love letter to the very films Scorsese has spent his career preserving.

As noted, some of the characters feel a bit thin given the themes of the film, and at just over two-hours it's a touch too long for what it is, but hell if isn't one of Scorsese's most personal and enthralling creations to date.