Rango

Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Release date: 4 Mar 2011 UK / US
Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant

IMDB Page

He said:

Rango is a fantastically animated tale about a lonely pet chameleon lost in the Mojave desert. The film has a very distinct classical Western film feel to it. Each of the characters were well developed and an homage to popular western film archetypes. However, contrary to director Gore Verbinski’s intentions, this really is not a children’s film.

I don’t mean to imply that this isn’t a family film. I just don’t picture it as a film that will be on a constant loop like other Disney/Pixar and or DreamWorks films. (Last year’s Despicable Me, for example screams for multiple viewings.) Verbinski was recently quoted saying that children are far more intelligent than they are given credit for being as an explanation for his gritty animated family film.

Depp provides the voice of the titular protagonist and a true credit to his talent as the actor disappears into this role. The supporting cast is embodied with fantastic A-list names, that created a living breathing old west town. This film ticks every “old-west” scenario box with out ever feeling bloated or muddled. I really enjoyed this film and I give it {{{4 out of 5}}}

She said:

What a quirky, interesting film. In truth I wasn’t sure what to expect from Rango. I knew from the trailer that this was something a bit different; an animated film with an indie feel to it. It seemed grittier and more existential than your average animated family film. And after viewing I can safely say my predictions were confimed.

Rango provides a really interesting character to explore and although likeable his character is neither altruistic or completely selfish. He is simply a puzzle that, as an audience member, I enjoyed trying to unravel. The other characters too were fun and I agree with James that each was developed enough for the story and I didn’t leave feeling any of them had been cheated out of screen time.

As James said, this film is really a homage to the classic Western (there is even a baddy who wears a black hat.) With the recent release of True Grit a sense a Western revival on the horizon, and what better way to introduce the younger market than by producing a sartorical animated take on Western film tradition. However saying this, I think that Rango may be better appreciated by adults who can connect more with the character’s experiential learning curve.

Overall I thought this was a fun film but it did drag slightly at the end. I therefore give this film {{{3.5 out of 5}}}

They said: We think that adults may enjoy this tale about a lizard with an existential crisis more than young children… however for it’s quirky homage to Westerns we give this film {{{7.5 out of 10}}}