To hear Rango described on paper, you'd wonder how it
managed to glean such an enjoyable experience from the sum of its parts. I say this because, as far as much of the
basic scenario goes, we’ve seen this before.
A stranger wanders into a troubled old western town, performs feats to
make himself popular, and finally saves the town from a greedy villain’s conspiracy. That’s right; Rango is a deep-dyed Western;
sure, it’s the only Western about a chameleon played by Johnny Depp, but the
vast majority of tropes are all things we’ve already seen in other movies, and
much of it remains predictable for that reason.
So how is it that this movie, which should logically feel stale, comes
out feeling fresher than most other animated family films released in recent
memory? Perhaps it’s because it applies
so much elbow-grease to a clichéd formula that it makes it enjoyable again,
perhaps it’s because we’ve had such a break from the genre that it feels new
again compared to what have come to be the mainstays of animated films these
days, perhaps the little things, like the film’s animal cast, really do count
for a lot, and it may be a combination of these—but whatever the case, it’s
like no other animated film, and an absolute blast to watch.
Compared to most animated films, Rango does not spend much
time setting up its storyline before it happens on the screen; before we even
know the antihero of the film well, he is being hurled out of a car, dodging
traffic and predators, and strolling into a saloon within minutes of his first
appearance. At first it feels like a
weak narrative, but given time and attention, it reveals that it’s just an
energetic one. This film doesn’t tell us
much because it would rather show us, and it shows things rather expertly. Through a stable blend of harrowing, high-velocity
action scenes and jokes that are often side-splittingly hilarious, Rango
actively makes the audience feel like they’re along for the ride. In addition, it helps that the film looks and
sounds great.
Visually-speaking, the best single word to describe Rango is
“unique.” This is not a film that feels
compelled by the mainstays of modern animation; while other animated movies
tend to produce a world filled with exaggerated, glossy pastel colors and
exaggerated, proportionally-stylized characters, both of which call constant
attention back to the notion that they’re just long cartoons, Rango seeks an
alternative in a worn, sober world that is essentially beautiful in an ugly
way. With the possible exception of a
quartet of cute mariachi owls who provide the film’s soundtrack (and occasionally
some snide commentary), there isn’t a single pretty face anywhere in this
movie; many characters look like actual desert animals, and all have a hardened
and/or battered look to them. This is a
motley-looking crew, with faded clothes, unkempt facial hair, wrinkles and
scrapes, bloodshot eyes, and a myriad of other features that indicate a life in
the badlands full of sorrow—one character even has an arrow lodged in his skull
via one of his eyes! The presentation of
the harsh environment that forged them is equally well-realized, with its bone-dry
deserts, decaying remains of the unfortunate, and its red, silhouette-casting
sunsets. The point is that this film
doesn’t whitewash its grit; it displays it proudly and thus immerses
viewers. The town of Dirt deserves
special attention, as in addition to having the same worn-out look that the
rest of the movie features, much of it is constructed of repurposed human
objects, providing lots of fun details to look for in its appearance, in the
vein of such classics as The Rescuers.
One more thing about the visuals: Roger Ebert has observed that this
movie, despite not being optimized for 3-D graphics, looks better than many
that are. For my part, I’m somewhat
disappointed this film wasn’t in 3-D, as there are plenty of scenes that could
have made great use of it, but Ebert is still basically right; it already does
look much better than many other CGI films.
Sound is another strong point. The aforementioned owl chorus provides a
well-produced, appropriate-sounding score of country and mariachi music to set
the mood, and I advise everyone to stay for the end credits, where they really
let loose with a spectacular fanfare.
However, what will draw many to this movie is the voice-acting. Johnny Depp does a great job as Rango,
hitting all the subtle-yet-important details of his character’s mood, and
providing a distinction between the early scenes where he’s just a
self-important humbug and the final scenes where he comes to take the role of
hero seriously. However, though Depp’s
performance is excellent and often compelling, he sometimes sounds like a
typical, likeable-yet-naïve CGI protagonist, a bit of a letdown for an actor as
distinctive as Johnny Depp. However, the
rest of the cast sound straight out of a classic Western, with all the accents
and dialects you’d expect, and even a lot of mild expletives. Here too, this film wears its grit on its
shoulder, with spectacular results.
In closing, let me reiterate that Rango is a unique
movie. Opinions are going to vary as to
how much a cast of animals makes the old feel new again, but I certainly can’t
say I have seen a lot of animated Westerns, and this film does capitalize on
its unique cast to put an occasional twist on the old mechanics; such as in the
case of a chase scene where, in lieu of a train being attacked and boarded from
horseback, a javelina-drawn wagon is boarded by raiders riding on bats. (Also
admit it; did you have to look up what a javelina was?) Taking its inspiration from the American
epics of yesteryear also means this film hardly ever draws on contemporary pop
culture for its humor, which is another way it sets itself apart from the
crowd. In the end, Rango feels less like
a mess of clichés and more like an affectionate tribute to Westerns, and it’s a
roaring-good time, to boot.
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