Rango

"Rango" A

It has been quite some time since we have been to the movies. According to my last post, it has been exactly two months. Once again, we got some free passes to a movie and this one, while it was not on top of my list, was actually a really awesome movie. The movie we saw was Rango, starring Johnny Depp as the lizard wanting to be a hero and belong somewhere. Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, has reteamed with Johnny Depp to create an exciting and funny animated adventure movie. It starts out with Rango role playing adventure scenarios in his little aquarium, until he lands on the road and is forced to go his own way. He travels the desert for a while, meets some singing owls, and then gets chased frantically by a giant bird. After some surreal scenes and some introduction of our heroic lizard, he ends up in a town called Dirt. They have a water problem there, so he assumes the role of sheriff by telling everyone he shot some dangerous criminals with one bullet, and took on Jake the Snake, one of the most ferocious villains in the old west. Along the way, there is adventure and Johnny Depp's usual comic talent. He does a really good job in this movie. Johnny Depp is definitely in Jack Sparrow mode here and this is pretty much his movie. Gore Verbinski does a good job keeping things at a fast pace but at the same time, allowing us to care about the characters and the dilemma of the town. And Rango is a very likable lizard. Gore Verbinski also gives us a couple of scenes resemblant to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, involving a flying giant gold fish and a group of bugs. We also have an interesting scene with the "man with no name", which seemed to be an homage of the old Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. However, there is a warning. While there are some cool adventure scenes and funny parts, there are a few scenes that might be scary for kids, especially with Jake the Snake. Other than that, it was a good time at the movies! I am thinking this one is going to be an early blockbuster for the spring.