Rango - (March 4, 2011): PG
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office (wide-release): #1 with $38,079,323
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $97,517,310
Gross Revenue: $168,976,961
Budget: $135 million
Director: Gore Verbinski
Nickelodeon Movies used to be a very safe bet for family films, but in the past few years my faith has been shaken considerably; I’m sure no one had high hopes for yet another one of Eddie Murphy’s disasters in 2009’s Imagine That, but last summer’s The Last Airbender was just plain insulting. Still, Johnny Depp is an unquestionable crowd-pleaser, and he proved his appeal as a voice actor in 2005’s Corpse Bride, so there was a definite curiosity to see him bring life to another animated character. The teaser trailer for Rango first dropped in June, and though there wasn’t much revealed about the story; viewers were still treated to some impressive animation and clever humor. Promotions for Rango were everywhere leading up to the film’s release, playing off not only the inherent appeal of yet another computer-animated film but also the fact that director Gore Verbinski and Depp were teaming up outside the exploits of Captain Jack Sparrow. With the impressively large amount of positive buzz surrounding Rango, I had some high expectations for the film, but in retrospect I was shockingly unprepared for the overall quality of the end result.
Rango introduces audiences to an eccentric pet chameleon (Depp) who becomes accidentally stranded in the Nevada desert and stumbles across an Old West town populated by desert animals. A combination of fast-talking bravado and dumb luck lead the townspeople to quickly label the chameleon (who has presented himself as a famous adventurer known as “Rango”) a hero and appoint him sheriff, charging him with solving the increasingly precarious drought threatening the town (which is appropriately named “Dirt”). With the help of the iguana Beans (the unrecognizable Isla Fisher) and a few other eccentric supporting characters, Rango uncovers a plot between Mayor Tortoise John (Ned Beatty) and local outlaw Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy) to steal the town’s water. Before Rango can expose the plot, he is driven out of town by the townspeople who have discovered his deception and label him a fraud. Struggling to define his own identity, the chameleon must now find a way to save the people whose faith he had previously betrayed.
As the credits began to roll, I sat in my seat utterly horrified; shocked that Depp would allow his name to be attached to such a mediocre and surprisingly un-entertaining film. Admittedly, Depp himself is likable and brings some much needed life to the film as the protagonist, but there is little else to help heighten the appeal of Rango. The animation itself is impressive, but the high quality graphics are wasted on shamefully unattractive character models that are sure to make younger audience members uncomfortable (not only does one character have an arrow permanently impaled in his eye, but I also guarantee that Rattlesnake Jake will reduce some children to tears…good luck parents). I cannot fathom how these characters tracked well with test audiences. And let’s not forget the story of Rango, which is at times overly complicated and at others just complete nonsense, adding little heart or emotion to keep audiences invested. About an hour into the story, I just didn’t care anymore whether or not Rango actually found the water he was tasked to locate.
By far the biggest problem with Rango is that it is clear that neither Verbinski nor the writers could decide whether the film was intended to be a children’s adventure or a satire for the entire Western genre. Rango tries for some genuinely clever humor, but the attempts are lost in the uneven pacing of the film, as audiences have zero time to react to, recognize, or even appreciate a joke when it comes along. Once again, tragically, the funniest parts of Rango were revealed prematurely in the early trailers. Another blatant waste involves Rango’s numerous references to classical western films, which are not only sure to sail over the heads of children, but may also be too obscure for even older fans of the western genre to fully appreciate. Another disappointment involves some of the voice acting…aside from Depp himself, a number of the other famous voices were largely unrecognizable, thus wasting a chief element of the appeal that top animated films often share. In the end, Rango had all the elements necessary for success, but tragically just could not execute.
As I said in the “Short and Sweet” review, I cannot fathom how critics can sleep at night after singing the praises of Rango…I, on the other hand, have no problem telling readers that I absolutely hated the film. After his similarly disappointing partnership with Angelina Jolie in The Tourist, Rango definitely represents a “strike two” for Johnny Depp…good lord I hope Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is good! Paramount sure spent a large sum of money promoting Rango, but for as much as it cost to actually produce the film; a gross revenue of just under $170 million (barely covering the production budget) has to be disappointing. With the sub-par box office receipts and the low quality (of which I appear to be one of the only reviewers to point out) attached to Rango, it is clear Disney-Pixar has nothing to fear from Nickelodeon Movies. Bottom line, you may think you want to see Rango, but trust me; you have better things to do with your time.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
