Anyone who has read my reviews before knows how much I appreciate the humor and creativity of today’s animated films, but when it comes to Rango, I was understandably skeptical of a few elements. First off, while Disney-Pixar is the reigning king of computer-animation and family fun, it has been a while since Nickelodeon Movies has offered anything memorable in this area. Second, while director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp have struck gold with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Rango represents Verbinski’s first venture into animated film-making. Still, leading up to the release, the trailer for the film was everywhere, and after having seen it nearly a dozen times, I could appreciate that it at least looked mildly amusing. Depp may have had a misstep with December’s awful “romantic thriller” The Tourist, but he has nevertheless charmed audiences time and again, so even a turn as an odd-looking chameleon was sure to please fans.
Now, every reviewer has been singing the praises of Rango, comparing it to the likes of Toy Story 3, and I couldn’t be more confused, as I found it to be one of the most bitterly disappointing films I have ever seen. Depp is entertaining as the smooth-talking titular character, but that is where the appeal of Rango ends, as there is little humor, heart, or story to keep audiences involved. Forgetting the downright ugly character models, I think the biggest problem with Rango is that the film couldn’t decide if it was trying to please an adult or child audience. Some silly moments are sure to please younger moviegoers, but attempts at clever humor or references to classic westerns are clearly geared towards an older demographic; recent animated films have been able to successfully blend these elements, but Rango barely tried and clearly failed. Who knows, maybe I am missing some hidden appeal to Rango, but no matter how hard I reflect on the film for a redeeming quality, I remain thoroughly unimpressed by the whole venture.
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Overall Recommendation: Very Low
