Rango (2011)

Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Written by: Gore Verbinski/John Logan/James Ward Byrkit

When Rango speaks, everyone listens.

But first, a few previews.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES–Do we need more Pirates? Do we need more of Johnny Depp in the role that he created to be one of the strangest characters this side of David Lynch.

Oh, sure. Why not? I’m ok with this probably unnecessary sequel to one of the more popular trilogies to come out in the last 15 years. That’s really about all I have to say about it, though. Except that there’s no Verbinski involved anymore. I’m a little worried about that.

HOP–One thing that seriously turns me off of this “Russell Brand as the future Easter Bunny” cgi/live-action comedy is “From the director of Alvin & The Chipmunks!” Uh…why would you ever sell a movie with that phrase?

Oh, yeah. And it looks HORRIBLE! The trailer was not funny at all. Russell. What are you thinking?

KUNG FU PANDA 2–Yet another unnecessary sequel that I’ll check out. The first one was a lot more fun than it ever should have been. (You may remember me saying how bad the trailer was…I was wrong. I’ll admit it.) This one could be the same…or it could suck horribly. There are some funny moments in the preview, but if this was the first one instead of a sequel, I wouldn’t care too much.

PUSS IN BOOTS–Man. Another unnecessary sequel/spin-off. I dunno about this one. It’s another one that may be great or may just be shit. Puss was one of the cooler characters towards the end of the Shrek series, but I don’t really know if he can really keep that momentum for an entire movie of his own. I guess we’ll find out, though.

Ok. Back to the real world…kinda.

A chameleon (Johnny Depp) has a happy, but sheltered life in his terrarium. When it gets knocked out of the car, his life crashes down around him. Soon enough, though, he’s led to the town of Dirt. It’s an Old West town peopled by small critters and run by The Mayor (Ned Beatty doing his best John Huston impression). Beans (Isla Fisher) is another lizard who reluctantly helps the new stranger acclimate.

Once he assumes the identity of Rango, though, all bets are off. Rango, you see, is not a coward or a liar. Rango is a hero who killed seven men with one bullet. And everyone in Dirt loves Rango, thinking that he is going to bring the water back.

The big question really is, how will Rango get out of his web of lies?

Verbinski, Logan and Byrkit have created a set of characters and a world that really does rival just about anything that Pixar has done. Sure, Woody and his pals may have more heart than anyone in Rango, but these characters have the eccentricities and the strange realism that make them seem just as…well…real.

Don’t think, though, that Rango is all kids’ stuff. This is an adult film that masquerades as a kids’ film. I’m not talking about offensive material (although there is some very mild cursing and some smoking, hence the PG rating), but the subject matter that lies beneath. Rango isn’t just about a young man finding the courage to stand up to some meanies. Rango is about identity and what it means to make your own in this world.

You see, Rango is an actor. The first scene of the movie is the chameleon (before he becomes Rango) putting on a play in his terrarium with the toys that his owners give him. He’s making it us as he goes and treating it like it’s the most important thing in the world.

When faced with reality, though, he has to put on a new act. One that will help him survive. And he throws himself into it just like he did in his little world. When the tough gets going…can he keep it up? Will he become Rango? What does it mean to invent a new reality for yourself? Once you do that, can you go “home”?

These are some pretty heady questions for a “kids’ movie.”

Not only that, but there are a LOT of references that kiddos just would NOT pick up on. Little throw-away things like a quick reference to Ghostbusters, the Chinatown connection, the quick cameo from another Johnny Depp character or the fact that, really, this is a spaghetti western. In fact, it may be the best western to come out of Hollywood in years.

Rango has a very strange feel to it. Like 9 or Where The Wild Things Are, this is a childrens’ film really in name only. It hearkens back to the days when movies didn’t talk down to kids and thought that they could pick up on some pretty deep messages and understand some pretty surreal scenes.

All that and I didn’t even mention the animation, which was amazing. This kind of looked like the CGI in District 9. Dirty, scroungy and beautiful all at the same time. The character design was great and the set design was so intricate that I think I would have to see it three more times to catch all of the jokes in the background.

See this movie. See it many times. Tell Hollywood that we want more smart kids’ movies like this.

I can’t believe that I’m saying all of this about a Nickelodeon Film.