Rango Review

Rango

“Rango” is about a gecko in Southern California’s Mojave Desert.  Johnny Depp is the voice and personality of Rango, Timothy Olyphant as the Spirit of the West, and Abigail Breslin as Priscilla.  This is a Nickelodeon animation set to earn some Oscar nods this year.

Rango is inside a vehicle during an auto incident on the desert freeway.  He becomes a free lizard during the dramatic incident and ends up in a small town called Dirt.  He is elevated to a heroic legend by defeating the bird that torments the town and acquires the Sheriff title for his actions.  Dirt is running out of water and Rango is tasked with finding out why.  He ends up being run out of town by Jake the Rattlesnake (yes, that is his name) as Rango’s true history is revealed.  Rango soon figures out where the water is (Las Vegas) and how to return it to Dirt.  In the process he runs into the Spirit of the West (a fitting animation of Clint Eastwood,) attempts to find the thief of the water, and devise a way to route it back to Dirt. 

Foremost on the viewer’s mind is the character of Rango.  Yes, Johnny Depp nails the part.  We are given a character we can see and feel is real.  Depp did not go over the top, but he did keep Rango enjoyable for the young and mature crowd alike. Rango’s entry into dirt is priceless.  His shorts gasps, facial features, and charisma are spot on.  The character of Priscilla was likeable and as a viewer I wanted more of her.  The mariachi owls constantly brought me back to the movie “3 Amigos.”  They provided a needed and smooth explanation of the events transpiring on and off screen.  Unfortunately the lead female role of Beans was a failure. 

The animation is noteworthy.  Nickelodeon did an amazing job with lifelike production of the characters and landscape. They sized the characters well so the film was easy to watch and the large landscape images were refreshing to see put together.  DreamWorks and Fox have a lot of catching up to do if they want to get in on the Oscars. “Ice Age, Continental Drift” may be in the running for 2012.  Disney missed with “Mars Needs Moms,” DreamWorks may hit with “Puss and Boots,” but Nickelodeon nailed it with “Rango.”  Even with all the worthy companies in the running, Pixar still reigns supreme. 

Despite the enormous lulls in the progress of the story and the ambiguity of Rango’s purpose, we are entertained by Depp’s character throughout.  Those who like Ice Age, Open Range, 3 Amigos, or the Pirates of the Caribbean series may absolutely like Rango.  The PG rating is appropriate and may be a bit soft due to the language and animated violence.  With a more progressive plot and better supporting roles, this rating would be higher; however, given the great animation and some memorable performances by Depp and Breslin, Rango will pull 4 out of 5 Cyclones.

Jeremy Brickner

CycloneMovies.com Critic