Chameleon Sheriff with an Identity Crisis
| November 3, 2011 | Posted by Ariadne under Westernfilms |
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It’s difficult to choose the most attractive aspect of the animated western-comedy Rango, but it is easy to proclaim it an intelligent piece of entertainment that will amuse adults and children alike.
The beginning of the film is deceivingly colourful and slow paced – here we are introduced to a lonely pet chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) that spends his time acting in his terrarium and dreaming of adventures. Soon, a real adventure ensues: he finds himself stranded in Mojave Desert after his terrarium falls off his owner’s car.
At this point the film picks up the pace, and once Rango steps foot into Dirt, a real Western fills the screen. Dirt is an Old West type of town, populated by desert animals. The town is inexplicably at the edge of a complete draught, and soon our unlikely hero takes up a Sheriff’s duty of finding out what’s going on. Of course, it is not simple for a city pet to become a confident hero, and Rango will go not only on a quest for water, but also on a quest to discover his true identity…
Although it is an animated film fit for younger audiences, Rango is far from being populated with cute or cuddly characters. Desert animals in Dirt perfectly evoke hardened characters we often find in classic Western films. In fact, gunslinger Jake (voiced by Bill Nighy) is done so well that smaller children (or anyone with a snake phobia) might get scared in some scenes!
Impeccable animation and stunning visual effects are possibly the most impressive aspect of Rango. Next comes the flawless voice acting, as well as an intelligent plot. Pacing of the story is perhaps slow at the beginning, but later makes up for it with good amount of twists that will hold your attention even if you find them predictable.
An element of the film that was a personal favourite of mine is the music score, paired with the mariachi narrators that break the fourth wall and lead us through the story with their amusing remarks. Also, if you choose to watch the extended version of Rango, you can expect an additional 4-minute scene at the end of the film. This serves as a lovely epilogue to the story.
Western experts might also have fun recognizing references to classic Western films. Several of these are incorporated in Rango – the most obvious one being a brief appearance of The Man With No Name (voiced by Timothy Olyphant).
Rango was written and directed by Gore Verbinski, probably best known for his work on the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films. While Rango follows the same trail of family entertainment, it still carries enough weight and dust of a real Western, making it one of the interesting Western titles in 2011.
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