Rango

I think my first exposure to any kind of promotion for this movie called Rango was when I briefly glanced at the above poster on IMDb. I mean, it’s a chameleon holding a wind up bathtub fish. Yeah right, I thought. I won’t be seeing this one anytime soon. Then a few days later I took a closer look and read that the director is Gore Verbinski from Pirates of the Caribbean and that the lead lizard is voiced by Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp. OK now I’m interested.

I figured that this movie would either be completely out in left field and a waste of time or (the more likely scenario considering the talent involved) that it would be an unexpected even if somewhat eccentric highly entertaining breath of fresh air. Well, um… it’s the latter.

Rango is definitely not your typical animated feature. In fact I’d say it sits on the seat opposite Tangled on the movie playground teeter-totter. So different but providing the necessary balance to keep either side from crashing down to the ground.

I could be mistaken but I think Rango is what is often referred to as a character driven movie. Of course it has a story with a beginning, a middle and an end but I felt that all of that was almost secondary and maybe even just a vehicle to expose us to the weird and wonderful characters we meet along the way. The dialogue is thick, quick and sharp. You really need to watch intently or you’ll surely miss a bunch of stuff. I was paying full attention and even without the distracting intracranial crunching sound of $7 popcorn I know I need to see it again to catch a few things I missed.

Like Tangled, Rango pays homage to some classic movies from the past. Some of the references are quite obvious, (two times “Rango” reverts to his only slightly different Capt. Jack Sparrow voice to exclaim “that’s interesting” just like he says in POTC when he finds out what the curse feels like for himself) most are not. You may recognize references to Once Upon a Time in the West, Apocalypse Now, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, LOTR, Star Wars (I swear one of the characters looks exactly like Jabba the Hut), It’s a Wonderful Life and probably several more.

Kids might enjoy Rango on their own level but this is definitely a movie which will be most fully appreciated and enjoyed by adults. It is highly entertaining mostly in a comical way. I and most everyone else in the theatre were LOLing like totally super often!!!!! I think you’ll find most of the laughs come in quick short bursts. Lots of ha-s, (singular form of ha-ha) chuckles, chortles and other proclamations of recognition of a clever or subtle bit.

In the end I’m struggling to explain Rango especially without giving away too much. I love movies that reward you for giving your full attention and Rango does that continually. Now that I think about it, the lack of talking and texting around me was a rare throw back to ancient days when people had manners. Although deep down I know it was only because everyone was just trying to keep up and not miss anything rather than a sudden mass discovery of etiquette.

Finally, just to be clear, this is not Shakespeare (although Rango himself is a big fan of the Bard) and it’s not ALL THAT either. It is a funny, entertaining and unique little picture that I enjoyed very much the first time and plan to watch several more times in the future.