'Rango' - Movie Review

Johnny Depp is probably the oddest A-list actor out there in terms of the kind of roles he plays. He never takes a normal leading man, instead opting for strange and quirky parts. "Rango" is no exception to this trend. For this film Depp re-teamed with the director of the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, Gore Verbinski. This is Verbinski's first foray into animation, though he's had ample work with computer created creations in his other films. For their first animated piece together the pair tackle an old west style tale dosed with an unusual hero.

"Rango" opens with an unnamed pet chameleon (Johnny Depp) in his glass cage talking to his imaginary friends. Some nasty driving results in his cage being flung from the car it's in and shattering on the ground. The chameleon wanders into the desert, stumbling across the town of Dirt. Realizing that he can be anybody he wants, he dubs himself Rango and presents himself as a fierce gunslinger. Thanks to some tall tales and a few lucky shots Rango soon finds himself appointed Sheriff by the mayor (Ned Beatty). However things aren't going so well in the town. Dirt's been undergoing a water shortage, and though a young lizard named Beans (Ilsa Fisher) believes it's even worse than it appears. When the last of the water is stolen from the bank Rango, Beans and a team of oddballs from Dirt head out to recover the water and try to save the town.

The cast is made up largely of movie actors, with Depp leading the charge. The voice work wasn't simply recorded in a booth, the actors were on makeshift sets acting out their parts. As a result the characters have the same physicality that the actors would have brought to the parts had they been playing them for real. This is especially true of Rango who is instantly recognizable as Johnny Depp in the jittery fashion he moves about. Though it should be pointed out that this was not a motion capture film, and the filmed scenes of actors served only as a reference for the animators. Thankfully this means there's none of the creepy doll look that is found in motion capture films like "The Polar Express." The cast as a whole does good work, and are much more toned down than one would expect for an animated feature. Only Depp himself takes things to the edge, with how panicky Rango can be at times. The interactions between characters feel very genuine, and amongst all the slapstick there's more than a few inside jokes for the adults.

There are a few things about "Rango" that make it a little bit hard to pin down. The first is the look: Verbinski has opted for a very realistic look to the settings and the animal characters. As a result, even though the characters are animals in clothing they look very close to how those animals look in the real world. It's an interesting choice, but occasionally it's one that seems to clash with the style. Some segments (such as Rango's early chase scene with a hawk) are a bit too cartoony to feel right in a world this realistic looking. For as oddball as the look and cast are the story is actually surprisingly straight forward. Rango himself is a bit wacky but for the most part the film is a standard Western. This means it carries a more leisurely pace than most kid's movies, some of the littler ones might get antsy during the slow stretches. Also parents should be warned that the added realism might be a bit much for younger kids, the outlaw Rattlesnake Jake (voice by Bill Nighy) in particular can be genuinely frightening.

While not quite as original as it seems to think it is, "Rango" is still a fun time for the slightly older child and their parents. Depp and Verbinski have crafted an odd little film that is both straight forward and odd all at the same time. It's a good transitional film for those getting around the age where they start to lose interest in animated film. The animation is well executed, and the humor is well balanced between broad jokes for the kids and inside jokes for the adults.

Final Score: 3.5 out of 5