Rango (2011)

I love this movie so much

You won't be disappointed!

Don't Believe the Hype

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

RANGO is one of those interminable all-star-voice-cast animations that Hollywood churn out for the kids. These films always have lame, action-focused plots that feel repetitive in the extreme, and are chock-full of in-jokes and references for their parents taking the kids along. This one is an extremely clichéd western adventure in which a mild-mannered chameleon becomes sheriff of a western town and has to clear up trouble. Johnny Depp slums it as the lead while the various voice actors play the parts of various stereotypes. The best thing about it is the use of classical themes on the soundtrack, but I didn't care for the cold CGI work and the action is interminable. The Man With No Name's cameo is the best thing about this.

I had seen many images and maybe a couple of clips of this computer- animated movie, and I knew the leading actor voicing, as for anything about it, I just waited until I watched it, directed by Gore Verbinski (Mousehunt, The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Lone Ranger). Basically a pet chameleon (Johnny Depp) is stranded in the Mojave Desert, on the road he meets armadillo Roadkill (Alfred Molina), who directs him to a town called Dirt. The chameleon narrowly avoids being eaten by a vicious red-tailed hawk before meeting desert iguana and rancher's daughter Beans (Isla Fisher), who takes him to Dirt, an Old West town populated by desert animals, the chameleon uses bravado and improvisation to fit in, presenting himself as a tough drifter, giving himself the name Rango. He quickly has a collision with outlaw Gila monster Bad Bill (Ray Winstone), but avoids a shootout when the hawk returns, Rango is chased by the hawk, but accidentally shoots and knocks down an empty water tower, which crushes the bird, the elderly tortoise Mayor (Ned Beatty) appoints Rango the new sheriff, but with the hawk dead, the townspeople worry gunslinger Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy), who feared the bird, will return. Dirt's water reserves, stored in the town bank inside a water cooler bottle, is nearly empty, sceptical Beans tells Rango he should investigate where the water has disappeared to. However, in the night, Rango inadvertently assists a trio of bank robbers, led by mole Balthazar (Harry Dean Stanton), mistaking them for prospectors, when the townsfolk discover the water bottle has been stolen Rango organises a posse. Bank manager Merrimack (Stephen Root) is discovered dead in the desert, he was somehow drowned, despite the town's lack of water, the posse and the robbers then fight over the stolen water in a canyon chase, after which the robbers profess they found the bottle empty, but they are brought for trial. The mayor is buying land around Dirt, he denies any wrongdoing and tells Rango he is building a modern city, but the mayor hires Rattlesnake Jake to run Rango out of town, and make him admit everything he told the town about himself is a lie. Rango leaves ashamed and confused about his identity, but in the middle of nowhere he meets the Spirit of the West (Timothy Olyphant), the Man With No Name, who Roadkill told him about, the Spirit inspires Rango to return to town and put things right. Rango learns that Dirt's water supply, located outside of Las Vegas, is controlled by an emergency shut-off valve in a water pipeline, the mayor has manipulated to cause drought and buy the land, Rango recruits the robbers to help him restore order to Dirt. Rango makes a diversion by calling out Jake for a duel, while the clan can turn the pipeline valve and flood the town with water, Rango eventually gets one over on the Mayor and his men and washing them away, in the end the Dirt citizens celebrate the return of the water and recognise Rango as their hero. Also starring Abigail Breslin as Priscilla, Ian Abercrombie as Ambrose and Gil Birmingham as Wounded Bird. A chameleon with a big imagination but a self- questioning personality in the wild west during the modern day, it is fairly simple if a little weird, but the voices are chosen well, the jokes including spoofs of Spaghetti Westerns with Clint Eastwood, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars and others are funny enough, and the animation to create the walking talking animals and the world they inhabit is fantastic, it may have clichés, but overall it is a fun animated action comedy western. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, it won the BAFTA for Best Animated Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. Good!

Industrial Light & Magic's first foray into the world of animation hits all the right notes for Rango is an endlessly fascinating recreation of the Wild West that brims with cutting-edge animation and is just as accomplished in its technical aspects as it is structurally sound in its narration. Jam-packed with clever references to classic spaghetti westerns yet retaining an originality of its own, the first feature-length animation film from the pioneering VFX firm is one of the best westerns to surface in recent years.Set in an Old West town populated by desert fauna, Rango tells the story of its titular character, an ordinary chameleon who winds up in the desert town following an unforeseen accident and in order to blend in, presents himself as a tough drifter. As the lawless outpost is in desperate need of both water & a hero, the thirsty chameleon takes up the role of sheriff in order to solidify his own image amongst the residents and selfishly leads an investigation into the town's missing water case that ultimately makes him confront his own demons.Directed by Gore Verbinski (best-known for Pirates of the Caribbean), Rango marks his first stint with the medium of animation and he does an excellent job at it for the story is deftly scripted, the plot is character-driven, there's a precision balance between its moments of action, comedy & drama, and just like the best spaghetti westerns, it is never in hurry to bring its tale to completion. The characters themselves exhibit interesting arcs & their roles are concisely defined plus the very themes of identity, heroism & adaptation are skilfully addressed.Industrial Light & Magic is best known for its groundbreaking visual effects in live-action films and yet the top-grade computer animation they put up here shows that they are capable of competing with both Pixar & DreamWorks if it ever comes to that. Every rendered frame stays within the realm of its genre. The barren desert landscapes, rugged characters, no law or order & other little details only enhance the look n feel of its story. And also admirable is its good dose of exciting gunslinging action & occasional staging of duels that add to the overall experience.From the technical standpoint, Rango gets nearly everything right. The set pieces are reminiscent of lawless outposts with little to no civilisation. The camera showcases a frenetic energy whenever it is required, the warm colour tones, improved contrast & apt lighting further enhance its imagery while the movements are fluid & expertly handled given the scene & its requirements. Editing trims out what the story can do without but there are still a few slow patches in the final print. And Hans Zimmer's inspired, energetic & exhilarating soundtrack uplifts the story by a further few notches.The contribution from the actors who give these animated characters their voices n more is often taken for granted but its importance is realised in this picture. Featuring an impeccable voice cast spearheaded by Johnny Depp himself, every actor does justice to their respective characters with Depp & Bill Nighy impressing the most. Depp has given us some truly eccentric characters in the past, many of whom turned out to be bigger than the films they appeared in, and Rango is certainly no exception for Depp's colourful voice input plays a vital role in making the chameleon stand out.On an overall scale, Rango is an ingeniously crafted, endlessly witty & beautifully animated western comedy that's refreshing, enjoyable & entertaining from start to finish, and for an animated feature, it is a surprisingly mature entry that's more aimed at well-versed cinephiles but it nonetheless promises plenty of fun & laughter to those who might be oblivious of its countless references & homages to past classics. Cleverly directed by Verbinski, bolstered by Depp's sensational vocal performance & meticulously brought to life by ILM, Rango isn't just one of the best films of its year but is great enough to rank amongst the finest examples of western filmmaking. Highly recommended.

RangoGore Verbinski's Rango is a wonder amongst animated films. Naturally, the colourful, larger than life medium lends itself to the eyes, ears and hearts of children, which is the direction most of the, take. But Rango presents a mature, raunchy, surreal, absurd spectacle rife with a mischievous buzz, and peppered with laughs just bordering on the inappropriate for children, even though they'd go right over their heads anyway.this movie broke the record for how many times my jaw hit the floor seeing what they could do with the visuals. It's detailed, meticulous, gorgeously rendered and beautifully crafted. Johnny Depp gives wit, endearing naivety, and a sense of childlike wonder to his creation Rango, a little lizard in the big desert, violently thrown from a car wreck into the greatest adventure of his life, and the archetypal heroes journey. He wanders through the baking Mojave desert, into the town of Dirt, inhabited by sassy, lovable creatures modelled after all our favourite western characters. He blunders his way into becoming the sheriff, and leads the whole town on a quest to locate their most sought after resource: Aqua. Verbinski directs with a snappy, take no prisoners sense of humour, throwing joke after joke after one liner after tongue in cheek nod at us, until we feel so bombarded with fantastic imagery, brilliant voice acting and just plain fun, that we more than feel like we're getting our money's worth. Each animal is beautifully designed, from the evil Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy having a ball with a mini gun tail and Amber orange eyes), to Beans (a fellow lizard and love interest for our scaly hero), to the sleazy mayor (Ned Beatty, that old turtle), to a rampaging band of bank robbing moles led by a blind Harry Dean Stanton. The film is so full of detail, beauty and ambitious artistry that it has taken me at least 3 views to feel like I've noticed every character, every one line, very brilliant little touch. It's that good. Among the whacky antics there's a theme of owning up to ones identity, becoming responsible for people you save, and finishing the work or task you set out to do, lest you leave your legacy unwritten, and leave your Greek chorus (represented hilariously here by a trio of Mariachi Owls) with no end to their song. That kind of weight and thought put into an animated film gives me hope for the medium as something more than just whacky enjoyable children's fare, and even so I feel like like if more of the, had these kinds of themes, in them, our young ones may not necessarily understand the, but subconsciously benefit more off them, than off just the pyrotechnics and visual magic alone. A truly well made, shoot em up, dusty old American western animated classic.