Rango (Johnny Depp) technically doesn't have a real name. He is a chameleon, raised by humans and kept in a lizard aquarium. Rango is a practicing thespian, using his inanimate aquarium mates to run an acting school. While driving down what I assume is route 66, Rango's aquarium gets bumped out of the back of his car and smashes to pieces. Rango has to pick himself up and at the behest of a wise armadillo, heads into the desert to find a town. He finds the town of Dirt, a squallid old western type town full of various animals all tougher than nails. The entire town runs on one currency: water. Here, Rango decides that he can reinvent himself in any way he chooses. He settles on the name Rango (hence the movie title) adopts a southern accent and makes himself out to be the toughest gunslinger this side of the Mississippi. Through his powers of acting, and a giant fluke where he kills a hawk, the townspeople believe him and elect him to be their new sherriff.
This works out great until it is discovered that the town is running out of water and fast. Rango has to organize the townspeople to figure out the conspiracy behind the missing water and prove that he has the mettle to be one of them.
Possibly the best thing about Rango is how real it feels. The voice acting is incredibly good. It's hard to explain it but it was like I was watching the actors themselves acting. I watched a short special on how they actually did it. The actors would actually act out the scenes they were voicing over. It works splendidly. The actors take on their roles with gusto and enthusiasm. Johnny Depp leads them fantastically. It was unlike any other Johnny Depp role I have seen and just further cements him in my mind as an incredibly versatile actor (even if it was just a voiceover). Johnny Depp really is Rango and it was wonderful. The rest of the cast does very well also (Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty) but one of the very best was Bill Nighy. Bill Nighy plays Rattlesnake Jake, one of the films bad guys. For some reason I always confuse him with Ralph Fiennes because they are so good at playing villains. Bill Nighy was the man who brougth Davy Jones to life in the Pirates movies. At points you can hear his accent creeping through his fake southern one but he was such an awesome bad guy.
The second best thing about Rango is the animation. It is very gritty and I can't think of any movie that has the same type. It really helps bring to life this psuedosteam punk world that Rango inhabits where characters ride roadrunners as horses and rattlesnakes have gatling guns installed in their tails. It has some of the best animation by far that I have ever seen, and it does it all in glorious 2D. Take that 3D trying to hijack all my movies and make them more expensive.
Rango is kind of hard to get into. I found myself very bored at the beginning, which surprises me now that I have finished it. Rango is also very aware of itself which annoyed me as well. The combo of those two really made it hard to enjoy until about a third of the way through, which now makes me want to watch it again. And there was this scene where Rango talks to the spirit of the west. Who is none other than Clint Eastwood from the Man with No Name trilogy! I was so excited I peed a little. Than I found out it was voiced by Timothy Olyphant. I was so angry, I really wanted it to be Clint. Olyphant does a spot on impression though, channeling his character from Justified.
Rango was a real joy to watch. When you leave a movie feeling happy and wanting to see it again, that's the sign of a good film. It's faults can easily be forgiven and it's immediate charms don't hurt a bit.
3 out of 4 stars
-Christopher O'Connell
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