Movie Review: Rango

There is nothing trendy or conventional about this latest venture from Pirates of the Caribbean collaborators Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinksi.

Wonderfully wacky would be the best way to describe an animation focused on realising Verbinski's unique and imaginative vision for Rango - a chameleon voiced by Depp - rather than showing any obvious concern for who in the family will want to watch it.

Rango is in 2D rather than the fashionable 3D, features grotesque creatures that will likely frighten the littlies, displays a mature dry wit and features a rambling and disjointed plot combining existential musings with warnings about dangers associated with the ownership of natural resources.

On top of all this it's a western. It's littered with references to classic westerns such as High Noon and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Depp's own Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Rango is an insecure Hawaiian shirt-wearing chameleon; a domestic pet with thespian ambitions who is accidentally hurled into the Mojave desert. Struggling with what to do next, he takes the advice of a philosophising armadillo (Alfred Molina) and heads off in search of water in a town aptly called Dirt. Arriving in this drought-stricken outpost, he encounters a cast of ugly and dangerous looking rats, lizards, moles, snakes and turtles; brought to life by a talented cast of voices including Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy and Ray Winstone.

It's here that Rango puts his acting skills to good use, reinvents himself as a Wild West legend, and impresses the Dirtonians so much they make him the sheriff. Which seems like a good idea until the locals demand he find out why the town's water supply has dried up.

The story does ramble, and the main narrative is often sidetracked by Rango's desire to find himself, but what does stand out is the high quality of animation and art direction. Verbinski and his team prove you don't need to wear clunky glasses to enjoy 3D-like effects as he effortlessly makes birds fly and snakes unfurl towards us. The settings are surreal, the sunsets cartoonish and the characters are a motley lot - but there is also much to admire and plenty of beauty in the characters' ugliness.

Rango will perplex young kids, and adults, too, may be polarised. It doesn't always work but there's something infectious about its audacious display of individuality. Rango sure doesn't blend in and that's what's good about it.

Stars: 4/5
Cast: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher
Director: Gore Verbinski
Running time: 107 mins
Rated: PG (Contains some scenes that may scare very young children.)
Verdict: It ain't perfect but this is one crazy cartoon, unpredictable and with an enjoyable showdown.



- TimeOut