Rango is a great
Western. It’s a great kids’ movie.
It’s just plain great.
This beautifully animated film both ribs and pays homage to
the Western, and particularly the spaghetti Western. It’s a tale of an evil boss and a new sheriff, and it
references enough classics of the genre to keep the aficionado in deep
clover. More importantly, it tells
its own Western story, and it does so well enough to capture the imaginations
of children for whom it represents their first exposure to the genre.
Johnny Depp voices the titular Rango, a chameleon who dreams
of adventure and heroism. When he
wanders into an Old West town populated with (beautifully rendered) desert
creatures, he tries to blend in.
After all, that’s what chameleons do. Next
thing he knows, he’s the sheriff.
Now, if he can only figure out how to work that gun …
And away we go.
Rango has gunslingers,
saloons, jailbreaks, and even a plucky belle struggling to save her ranch. It also has great music, funny jokes,
and the most beautiful animation I’ve enjoyed since Kung Fu Panda. I loved
it, my wife loved it, and my kids loved it. Now, if only I can get ‘em to watch Stagecoach.
