Empire's Rango Movie Review

Rango
The lizard with no name...

Plot
A pet lizard (Johnny Depp) falls out of a car in the desert, and earns himself a heroic reputation in the makeshift animal town of Dirt as gunslinger Rango. Dirt’s water-supply is controlled by a turtle mayor (Ned Beatty) and his gang, but Rango rallies the decent folks when it seems the community will be destroyed.

Review

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Every year, CGI animation gets exponentially better at such a pace critics risk running short of synonyms for ‘amazing’. Rango probably looks as good as it does because Gore Verbinski and an army of processors didn’t get sidetracked and chose to make something ‘flat’ but amazingly textured and detailed. 3D is so obligatory for animation these days it takes a few minutes to adjust to the fact that Rango doesn’t make you wear glasses or throw snakes in your face … though, in every sense other than technical, it’s among the most three-dimensional films of the year.

Bravely, it risks not connecting with the traditional huge audience for toons by appealing more to grown-ups than kids. Johnny Depp delivers weird stoner patter as the voice of the kink-necked, swivel-eyed chameleon hero (the colour-changing gag is underplayed) and Verbinski extends the psychedelic fugue from his last Pirates Of The Caribbean movie as Rango wanders into a wasteland for guidance from the Spirit of the West (Timothy Olyphant). This is stuffed full of wry, knowing homages to the sorts of movies our market research tells us Empire readers love but which the average nine-year-old might be less familiar with. A Wagner-scored Apocalypse Now helicopter attack with bats ridden by Hills Have Eyes-look mutant moles is about as broad as it gets, with plot elements from Chinatown, Django and El Topo plus riffs on Depp’s appearances in Dead Man and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas.

On top of the freeform movie freakery, this offers ‘funny animal’ denizens of Dirt which include disturbing-looking gila monster whores, rattlesnake hired killers, a spider undertaker and assorted uncomfortable-looking vermin (if the Muppets made Deadwood, this is what you’d get). Rango has more invention to the minute than almost any other movie this year – the lizard heroine’s defence mechanism statue act is an especial highlight – and, if it’s a little too peculiar to be all that funny, it delivers action, strangeness and sheer visual impact to make it a potentially lasting cult movie.

Verdict

Reviewed by Kim Newman

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Your Reviews

Average user rating for Rango

Rango Review
Rango is a smart, giddily creative burst of beautifully animated entertainment, and Johnny Depp gives a colorful vocal performance as a household pet in an unfamiliar world. ... More


Posted by the film man at 21:29, 17 January 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango: Review
Visually sumptuous but one for the adults-too scarey for young kids. A triumph though. ... More

Posted by thetruth at 00:40, 28 August 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango: Review
Loved this movie. The animation was spectacular, looks flawless on Blu Ray. ... More

Posted by UTB at 20:35, 27 August 2011 \| Report This Post



Rango: Review
Rango is a very good film. It has a great story, the animation is done well and Johnny Depp does an excellent performance as voicing its character in the film. The only problem i had with the film was it wasnt the best animated film ive ever seen. This film is truly enjoyable for both adults & children. I would recommend to go see this film. ... More


Posted by Edward9630 at 02:51, 08 August 2011 \| Report This Post



Kim Newman needs her head examined
To mark this movie as a mediocre 3 star shows a remarkable lack of insight and understanding of the playfulness and humour present in Rango. maybe Kim Newman was recovering from a wretched hangover or just had a bad day but Rango will definitely stand up there with "Blazing Saddles", "Dead Man" and all the Spaghetti Westerns. It plays on multiple levels, fun for kids with more than a few laughs for adults paying homage to all that went before. Depp's voice characterisation ... More


Posted by Obliqueraven at 08:34, 31 July 2011 \| Report This Post



RE:
Tangled for one. Bumping this thread up. ... More

Posted by theoriginalcynic at 01:00, 28 July 2011 \| Report This Post




Three stars is definitely right. It's worth watching once, it's over long and it becomes tiresome in the end. A few good jokes but they're much better animated films out there... ... More


Posted by theoriginalcynic at 00:53, 28 July 2011 \| Report This Post




Empire reviews sucks lately... ... More


Posted by ARmy2510 at 21:50, 30 June 2011 \| Report This Post



On the same sidelines of The fantastic Mr. fox!
Good for a one-time watch. Johnny Depp steals the show just like in Alicein Wonderland. The rest is deja vu- Protagonist pretends to be hero, public finds out and then hero tries to prove a thing or two! Script is oscillating between kids and adults view! ... More


Posted by batbhai at 14:29, 29 June 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango is Magnificent. Needs to be REASESSED! WRONG RATING!
I watched this on a plane, so not the best conditions. But it had something special that most cartoons don't these days, originality. A four star movie really and I don't really see how you can mark a cartoon down for not being aimed at the kiddies, who said they have to be? ... More


Posted by JagLover at 12:27, 24 June 2011 \| Report This Post



Rango is Magnificent. Needs to be REASESSED! WRONG RATING!
I'm sorry, Kim Newman must not be a fan of Westerns, because Rango was not just a great animated film that riffed on Westerns, it was a great Western, period. I was constantly surprised at the sophisticated plotting, great character development, and dark dark humor of this piece. Easily one of Gore Verbinski's best films EVER. This is a classic, make no mistake... and it would easily fit on a shelf right next to the Coen's True Grit and Once Upon a Time in the West. I was dismayed to see... More


Posted by teemto at 13:10, 22 May 2011 \| Report This Post



Imaginative masterpiece
Rango is creative, clever, beautifully animated and strongly entertaining, with Depp giving a masterful, witty performance. ... More


Posted by djphilips at 10:39, 22 May 2011 \| Report This Post



I think the peyote just kicked in...
I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. I had no idea it was going to be so tripped out. There's a lot of stuff that kids might not quite get, so to pass this off as a kiddie film not for adults would be a mistake. It's got a lot less gags than say a Pixar film, but all in all it felt satisfying, with some nice music thrown in. The texture of the animation is really something to behold as well. Could be one of the sleeper hits of the year. ... More


Posted by Rich Empire at 00:20, 05 April 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango
This film is a completely unexpected surprise. Fairly standard storyline -- it happens like it says on the tin kinda thing -- but the characters, animation and entire make-up of the film has quirky brilliance written all over it. Loved the small homages to other movies, which didn't overshadow but rather highlighted Rango's originality. Good call, Depp. ... More


Posted by Jessica_ca_ca_ca at 09:28, 23 March 2011 \| Report This Post



amazing
loved this film, went thinking it would be a dull kids film, was massively suprised, I loved it. in the same vien as fantastic mr fox, wierd and more adult than you think, lots of ace references (sometimes feels like an episode of Spaced!), the animation is stunning and the voice work is fab. anyone who loves Depp in his more indie wierd mode will love this. ... More


Posted by a123matt at 13:23, 21 March 2011 \| Report This Post



Weirdly wonderful
This has got to be one of the greatest animated movies of all time! It deserves at least a 4! It's got beautiful animation and clever surreal moments. Highlights include a vision of Clint Eastwood and a group of singing owls. ... More


Posted by typewriter at 22:38, 20 March 2011 \| Report This Post



wrong rating
This is at least a 4 star film if ever i saw one. The animation is superb and the story unfolds like a live-action film. It is involving, funny and has a heart. Saying that this is a 3 star film gives parents the wrong idea - and this is clearly a film both for parents and their kids alike, not just the kids. ... More


Posted by claudemg at 13:23, 20 March 2011 \| Report This Post



wrong rating
This is at least a 4 star film if ever i saw one. The animation is superb and the story unfolds like a live-action film. It is involving, funny and has a heart. Saying that this is a 3 star film gives parents the wrong idea - and this is clearly a film both for parents and their kids alike, not just the kids. ... More


Posted by claudemg at 13:23, 20 March 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: rango review
Many animated films these days try to equally appeal to kids and adults alike, Rango comes with the impression that it’s more for adults than for kids, which makes the kiddie orientated trailers very misleading. Well, this adult certainly didn’t find it much more adult than normal –sure, The obligatory film references cast their net wider than usual, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to Chinatown, there’s a bit of pretentious existentialism stuff ere’s some mild swearing, but the... More


Posted by Dr Lenera at 21:16, 16 March 2011 \| Report This Post



rango review
i went into the cinema expecting a mildly entertaining, 3-star children's film. emphasis on the word 'children's'. the themes in this movie are far more serious and less child-friendly than the likes of Gnomeo and Juilet or Tangled. also emphasis on the 3-star, this film deserves 2 more. the animation is amazing, making this film great to look at. the story is a bit weak at points and can be a bit confusing in parts but holds up for most of the film. the characters are extremely strange-looking... More


Posted by bubbagump9 at 18:49, 16 March 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango.
I saw something on the TV showing how the actors were rather than being in little cubicles reading their lines were walking around together acting the script out which makes me wonder if this is why it felt so fresh ? ... More

Posted by Wild about Wilder at 10:49, 12 March 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango.
I personally think it is one of the best films of the year so far with the Bat-chasing-wagon sequence one of the standout actions scenes of the last 12 months. 4.5/5 ... More

Posted by Timon at 10:03, 11 March 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Rango.
Deakins has done this a few times - he worked on Wall-E and How to Train your Dragon - all great films. Empire got the rating wrong - willl be watching this film many times in the future ... More


Posted by snooochies at 01:52, 11 March 2011 \| Report This Post




What The Hell Empire? This Film Is Marvelous, Plot is Predictable, But The Quirkiness Managed To Overcome That. Deserves at the Very Least, a 4 Star Review ... More


Posted by BrooksyTHX1138 at 13:30, 10 March 2011 \| Report This Post



Sure to be an overlooked classic
Went to the cinema feeling a little aprehensive, came out with a new (almost) favourite film! Definitely not one for the kids, but the constant homage, excellent character design, laugh out loud humour and pure anti-disney quirkiness make this a true modern cult classic. Kudos Mr Depp and Mr Verbinski! ... More


Posted by Hoojah41 at 16:56, 09 March 2011 \| Report This Post



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RangoThe lizard with no name...

Rango
The lizard with no name...