Rango [DVD]

Director Gore Verbinski has put together quite the filmography over the years. His first feature film was the family comedy Mousehunt, which he followed up with the R-rated action comedy The Mexican. He also jumped on the successful remake bandwagon before the trend really took off with The Ring. It was the Pirates of the Caribbean films that teamed the director with the hottest actor in Hollywood today; Johnny Depp. Perhaps it's because those films made over a billion dollars at the box office or because they just had fun working together or a little bit of both that Depp was chosen to voice a talking chameleon in Verbinski's bizarre yet spectacular animated adventure known as Rango.

Rango isn't your average animated film. That fact will become abundantly clear during Rango's opening monologue amongst his "friends." The film is actually more adult than any of the trailers let on. Within the first ten minutes of the film, Rango has a rather lengthy conversation with some fresh roadkill. In addition to that, the last half of the film is much darker than the first half. Maybe it's the countless number of bats with gatling guns strapped to them, Rattlesnake Jake being one of the most menacing animated villains in years, the film using its fair share of both "hell" and "damn" quite a few times, the film not shying away from the use of nooses, or, God forbid, animated characters smoking, but Rango just doesn't feel like an everyday, run-of-the-mill film put out by Nickelodeon.

Rango also wears its western references on its sleeve. The old time saloons, tumbleweeds, stare downs before a gunfight, and a town's utmost desire for both a sheriff and something to believe in are proof of that. But perhaps it's Timothy Olyphant's cameo appearance as The Spirit of the West that is both the biggest homage to westerns you could possibly think of and the biggest surprise of the film (at least as far as his appearance goes). Well it's either that or the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference. Both are equally amazing.

This has the atmosphere of an animated film that was made for adults. It's very off-balanced in the best kind of way, but a lot of the references and humor are sure to go over a child's head. Some of the characters in the film talk really fast (mostly just Rango and Beans at times) and while Rango is goofy enough to make the kids laugh, the subject content involving the town of Dirt certainly seems to be aimed towards a more mature sense of humor.

Rango is the first animated film from Industrial Light & Magic, the special effects company that did computer generated effects for the first three Star Wars films and the effects for the T-1000 in Terminator 2 among countless others. The film looks phenomenal. There were times when Rango looked like he was walking in an actual desert. While the characters weren't quite as detailed as the owls in Legend of the Guardians, they still looked incredibly realistic or as realistic as talking animals could possibly be.

Rango is one of the most eccentric animated films you'll ever have the pleasure of sitting through. Its homage to westerns combined with its explosive action sequences, an endless amount of hilarity, tender and sentimental moments that actually make you feel sorry for a talking lizard, and even a little bit of romance pretty much has all your bases covered as far as genres are concerned. Rango is a dark, witty, and entertaining ride that's also fairly mature for an animated film. All in all, Rango is easily the best movie of 2011 so far.

'Rango', directed by Gore Verbinski of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' fame, is not just another animated film as discussed in this self development review. Rango is a chameleon who has lived all his life in a glass tank. He has had numerous imaginary adventures with his only friends - a plastic toy fish, a dead insect and a broken doll. Due to unfortunate circumstances he finds himself outside of his 'glass cocoon', in a desert far from home. This is where his true life adventure begins.

THE SELF DEVELOPMENT ANGLE

The film touches on various issues such as the importance of natural resources, the class system, corruption, etc. I was particularly interested in the self development or personal development angle.

Once Rango's glass home is destroyed and he is released into the real world, he has to cope in foreign surroundings for the very first time. He has many hard lessons to learn and he begins to contemplate who he really is and the true meaning of his life.

He sets off on a journey of self discovery and changes from an insignificant chameleon to become a hero to many characters, dealing with personality crises and many insecurities along the way. He discovers finally who he really is and what he is truly capable of.

If you watch the film with a self development mindset you will spot the motivational phrases and may well find yourself thinking about your own life and where you are heading. This is partly because the main character, Rango, comes across as very authentic and you feel for him as he goes on his journey of self discovery.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

If you love Westerns you will enjoy Rango as there are lines and clichés from the great cowboy films throughout. Although it is a Western aimed at adults, children will also enjoy it for its great animation and action scenes. However, it is not really suitable for very young children as it is quite dark, scary and violent in places with rather creepy characters.

The animation is excellent - very detailed and quite spectacular. Some scenes are breathtaking. Overall the visual detail, lighting and colours are brilliant.

THE DARK COMEDY

Rango does not have a particularly deep plot but it is a clever film. The script is thought-provoking as well as very funny in places. The dialogue is witty with many of the jokes being directed more at adults. This is one of the reasons why adults will enjoy it as much as, or even more than, children.

Although Rango is quite a dark comedy, it is also very touching in places. The basic story has various underlying tones associated with ecology, human personalities, etc. You can watch it on several levels. All in all, the dark humour is wonderfully quirky.

THE CHARACTERS

There are many weird characters in the film - not the cuddly type of other animated films but innovative creations with rather intriguing creature effects. They were uniquely created for the story and work well to give this film its dark edge.

There is much visual detail in the film with each character having a unique personality. Some characters (like the Mexican Owl singers) appear at strategic points in the film which add to the creativity and humour. The various voiceovers are well chosen, especially that of Johnny Depp for Rango himself.

SUMMARY

As covered in this self development review, Rango is a chameleon who seeks purpose in life and goes from simply existing in his 'glass home' to becoming someone in a community who is respected for all sorts of reasons. With quirky dark humour, great animation and weird characters, this is definitely a film to see.

There are many in depth reviews for this film so I don't see any point on covering the same stuff again. I just want to say that this is a great film for a Sunday afternoon for both children and adults. It is a story with a moral and this is brought home by fantastic characters. I cannot think why anyone would not really enjoy this film. I thoroughly recommend it.