Review: Rango is Wonderfully Creative and Engrossing Mixtape Movie

RANGO

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Starring the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, and Bill Nighy

Written by John Logan

Rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking

107 Minutes

Release Status: In major theaters since March 11th

Premise: The identity-less lizard Rango becomes stranded in the desert after falling out of a car. After defeating a hawk, an enemy of the local town Dirt, Rango becomes the hero of moment- but with water running out and a conspiracy threatening to surface, he may not stay that way.

Rango is a bit of a paradox. Much like Quentin Tarantino, the Coen brothers, or a track from the latest Girl Talk album, Gore Verbinski's Western not only straddles genres- specifically western, comedy, action adventure, and mystery- but also a bevy of film references ranging from The Big Sleep to Star Wars. It may sound as if this movie lacks originality as a result, but by no means is that the case. Rango is the most original and audacious movie of the year so far, by far.

It becomes apparent that Rango is unusual the moment the movie starts. Instead of being greeted by an establishing shot or view of the film's title character, we are presented with a mariachi band consisting of four small birds. The group's leader, in a clever, American Beauty like manner, informs us that Rango will die by the time the story is over. While this tidbit may come off as overly complicated and dark for the first few minutes of what appears to be a children's movie, it is only the first of many times in which the film's protagonist is doubted by its own narrators.

In addition to the birds and audience, Rango tends to doubt himself too. Despite defeating one of Dirt's most fearsome villains, the lizard still does not trust or know himself. This is the place where Rango carries its strongest emotional depth. Much like last year's How to Train Your Dragon, Rango is a surprisingly taking tale of identity and what it means to be a man/hero. How fitting for that to be the theme- The Big Lebowski, a movie dealing with the same ideas,among others, is referenced in Rango along with a potluck of other films (interestingly enough, the detail cited in Rango is referencing a costume from the Coen brothers' 1998 cult classic that refers to a noir classic by the name of The Big Sleep).

 Rango is essentially a retelling of Chinatown. The 1974 detective story directed by Roman Polanski deals with a conspiracy to monopolize Californian water (a theme that is central to Rango). Both films are mysteries in their own right, share similar structures, and explore themes of heroism. For any viewer who has seen both movies, the similarities between Rango and Chinatown are borderline copycat. On the other hand, the classy and self conscious way in which this is done adds much to the meaning of this picture.

As much as Gore Verbinski and John Logan (director and writer, respectively) poke fun at noir cliches, westerns get their fare share of gags as well. The references start with a mysterious traveler met by Rango, continue with genre gags from the tense bar scene, a couple of females with whom the hero bonds, to a chase scene or two, and end with one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. There are even nods to Apocalypse Now and Star Wars- nonetheless, both of those are within the span of a minute or two.

However, the motley of film references comes with a small price. As with many stories that are built on others, Rango becomes rather predictable, and thinks it's a much better movie than it truthfully is. Don't get me wrong, this is a fun one, but such self assurance results in a few bad jokes (amongst a slew of other clever ones) and a terrible, tweeny use of the word "awkward" Despite these mars, Rango manages to be an incredibly entertaining experience.

Rango performs the near impossible on-horse One Cheek Sneak

I'm not sure how well this one will fare for kids under ten, as there are a few potentially scary scenes and mildly complicated plot. But for anyone older, Rango is a caper worth paying money for. For one thing, there are plenty of chuckle-inducing jokes to go around from start to finish. Acting in his usual wacky ways, Johnny Depp delivers most of the laughs. Children will find joy in the film's rather simple humor, and adults will discover more mature jokes hidden within. When there's no laughter in the crowd, Verbinski gives us action scenes and intriguing gumshoe/sheriff sequences. The thrill seeking in Rango doesn't go much beyond the minimum in terms of, well say, keeping our attention, but manages to give a nice change of pace from the dialogue.

As Rango is fairly plotty, the team behind it treats us to a good amount of detective style story telling. In the aforementioned Chinatown style, Rango navigates his pursuit of truth in a hard boiled order- finding a body, asking the right and wrong questions, as well as following footprints. Filled with jabs at the noir and detective genres, these scenes will bring joy to any avid moviegoer. Along with the investigative segments comes a few clever twists here and there. While far from original, these turns allow Rango to take on a tone more mature than other animated films.

Speaking of which, the animation in Rango is fantastic. Not only are the CGI creations in this one pushing the industry all the more towards photorealism, but also make for a quirky and rather bold take on the West. It's hard not to notice the bendy lines and animal style citizens of Dirt. Not quite Tim Burton, but far from a Pixar film, Rango boasts a vision both unique to cinemas and startlingly creative.

When it comes to Depp, I was unsure of how well he could hold the film's quirky humor for 100 minutes or so, not to mention keep any emotional ties intact. And with Johnny Depp's fairly redundant acting, things can easily go from bad to worse. Luckily, it's the opposite, but not without a slight intolerance toward the Pirates star's all too recognizable voice inflections (let me put it this way: if this movie had the him in person, it would have been a lot more obnoxious). Aside from the lead, the rest of the cast is top notch. The citizens of Dirt fit their visual manifestations to a tee and give the film's atmosphere closure. 

If it weren't for the hand of Gore Verbinski, this picture could have gone off the rails easily. Verbinski's direction, most skillful in scenes full of movement and dream sequences, is at times the star of the show. From the stellar opener, which contains a well constructed unintentional escape, to a hilarious encounter with one of cinema's greats, kinetics and atmosphere are synthesized into a feeling almost unreal. Which is precisely the point, since there are a couple of portions far from normal (remember those acid trips in Lebowski?). But in Rango, which somehow makes something new out of many a old thing, being offbeat is what makes it feel right on the beat.

In Theaters
Great. Not one of the years best, but memorable.