Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Before I even sat down to watch RANGO for the first time, I looked through the slate of animated films set to come out in 2011, and I was wildly disappointed. With the exception of RIO, nearly all of the big-ticket animated titles are sequels or retreads of familiar characters (PUSS IN BOOTS; WINNIE THE POOH). I have no idea if any of them them will be any good, but they won't be particularly original. And then I saw RANGO, a film that is clearly the first Oscar-worthy movie of the year and a front-runner to win the Best Animated Film award if only for its perfect blend of creativity and wonderful surrealism.
Just hearing the story doesn't quite do the movie justice (when does it ever?). A strange chameleon (Johnny Depp) comes to the dried up, dying town of Dirt, a place in dire need of water. The town is populated by varmints of all shapes, sizes and sullied reputations--lizards, amphibians, rodents, etc. Among the voice talents are Isla Fisher as Beans, Abigail Breslin as the deadpan child Priscilla, Alfred Molina, Stephen Root as several characters, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone, and Bill Nighy as a giant rattlesnake assassin. The core story is about where all the water has gone and who has been taking it. But screenwriter John Logan and director Gore Verbinski (THE RING; THE WEATHER MAN; and the first three PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) are working on a level well beyond the plot. To them, the weirder and less appropriate, the better.
And this is great news for adults who have a tendency to get dragged to every animated feature by their kids. With references and outright lifts from CHINATOWN (Ned Beatty voices The Mayor, who is clearly aping John Huston, complete with wheelchair), FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, and Sergio Leone Westerns (including the film's most genius moment that I will not ruin, unlike some other asshole critics of late), RANGO is going to go over a whole lot better with grown folks than kids, but I still think the under-13 set will enjoy the hell out of the film's manic pacing and visually stunning look (courtesy of "cinematic consultant" Roger Deakins).
I'm not sure exactly what Depp was going for here. Rango (not his real name) is a bit of a fast-talking con-artist/actor/professional-liar type, but somehow Depp finds a way to create yet another timeless character capable of entertaining all ages. His off-the-cuff, under-his-breath jokes are almost always great, and he always seems to be thinking a few steps ahead of everybody else.
But what's most impressive about RANGO is the look. It's part photorealistic, part absurdism, part I don't know what. But I could watch this movie a thousand times and never get sick of taking in the visuals. And what's even better: it's not in 3D and it doesn't need to be. It's a rich, living, breathing work that ropes you in and refuses to release you. And you won't mind being held prisoner. The story is also surprisingly sophisticated for a PG-rated movie allegedly aimed at young ones. There's real danger, scares and gross creatures around every corner, but the kids in the screening I attended were giddy with excitement about each new scene and character. And I was right there with them.
Ranking right up there with the best of Pixar (this film comes from Industrial Light & Magic and Nickelodeon Movies, for the record), RANGO is the kind of film that isn't really fun to talk about with people who haven't seen it, so why don't you go check it out immediately and get back to me. This might be my favorite film of the year so far.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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