Rango Review

Accidentally marooned in the Mojave desert a lonely lizard sets out in search of water, friends and the elusive spirit of the Wild West. Re-inventing himself as a mythical cowboy hero he winds up the unlikely sheriff of a desperate town in dire need of saving from evil bandits. But can he really save the day, can he truly become... Rango.

Versatile and charismatic might as well be Johnny Depp’s middle names. It’s as if the sheer gravity of his charm pulls any passing compliments towards him. But, he deserves them all. If you had to pick any man alive to play a Hawaiian shirt wearing chameleon cowboy it would almost certainly have to be this guy. Depp pours a maniacal likability into the character which is oddly reminiscent of his memorable ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ performance. Clearly aware of this similarity the film openly acknowledges the strange connection with a number of blatant reference and in-jokes.

Depp can and has single handily carried films on the back of his inspired oddity, but thankfully this time he’s surrounded by an array of wonderful vocal performances. Isla Fisher is a fiery tempered western gal, Abigal Breslin is a precociously morbid young possum and Alfred Molina is a piece of philosophical roadkill. It’s all a little insane and utterly brilliant.

The film’s beautiful animation has a mesmerising tangible quality. You can almost feel the fire of the desert or the slime on a toad’s back. The character design is flawless. Every strange looking critter we encounter is raggedly real. There isn’t the slightest trace of the bland symmetrical cuteness that can typically leave animated animals feeling fake and insipid. All the rough edges of Rango’s dusty desert world and its grimy inhabitants are reassuringly real. It’s a pleasure to let your eyes drink it all in.

Hans Zimmer recently crafted the instantly iconic soundtrack to Christopher Nolan’s Inception; his Rango soundtrack is a vastly different but equally masterful creation. Echoing the wailing guitar riffs of Ennio Morricone’s ‘spaghetti western’ scores, it propels the film with the true sound of the Wild West. . Personified onscreen by a wandering mariachi band of owls it brings an adventurous comedic tone to the film.

Rango has its fair share of slapstick laughs, but what’s most delightful is just how genuinely thrilling its real action set pieces are. They easily surpass any of Director Gore Verbinski’s previous swashbuckling efforts in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. One chase sequence in particular involving bats and a banjo cover version of ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ is pure unfiltered genius.

The worst kinds of films are those which try to pander to an audience, especially children.  It’s perilously easy to misjudge the undoubted intelligence and sophistication which a childish mind is capable of. Some people will suggest that Rango is too dark, scary or weird for children. Those people are horribly wrong. It is precisely that kind of convincing peril and unrestrained imagination that children lust for more than adults.  

Every element of this film is tinged with the rare elegance of perfection. It’s a brave and original blend of classic westerns and children’s animation that should absolutely delight most people even if leaves an unlucky few confused or disinterested.  

As an eccentric child I would have adored this film completely, now as a proudly odd adult I cannot wait to go back to the cinema to watch it again on 4^th of March. Join me and Let’s Ride...