LoWCW: Rango {review}

"What do we do now, Sheriff?"
"Now--WE RIDE!"

(Be prepared for a very quote-heavy review this time around.)

This is one of those movies that just makes me smile.  It is so incredibly weird, so completely original.

It's not one of my favorite stories, but I do like the ingenuity behind it, and the way it'll cause me to crack up every time I watch it.

What is it about, you ask?
"You know, I'm glad you asked me that, and I would be happy to tell ya…but you're all gonna have to listen up!  Because this is where it gets--complicated."

The story is about a pet chameleon searching for his identity.  Due to an *ahem* accident ("Your delusional quest just ruined my life!"), he winds up stranded in the middle of the desert--the very dry, very hot, very wide desert.  With no option other than to trust the advice of the armadillo who started the problem in the first place (I know, I know, but "stay with me, now, I'm tryin' to make a point"), he sets out and eventually makes his way to the town of Dirt, the very epitome of a down-on-its-luck Western settlement, lacking a sheriff and rife with rough-and-tumble eccentrics.  Since he has yet to "find himself," the ever-optimistic lizard determines to create an identity--as a hard-as-nails gunslinger, Rango, from "the far West."  His charade fools the townspeople, and they adopt him as their Sheriff...but there's all manner of skulduggery going on in the mayoral offices of Dirt, unbeknownst to anyone, and trouble's a'brewin'.

"Shhummuh.  Shhummuh!  SHHMUUUHH!"

The characters in this movie are very well-developed--the voice acting is perfect, the animation is stellar, and the dialogue is hilarious.  Here are some of my personal favorite quotes:

"Who goes there?!  'Tis I, the much-anticipated hero, returning to rescue his (emotionally unstable) maiden!"
~~~~~
"My daddy was a great man, even if he did exhibit a proclivity for legumes."
~~~~~
"What's going on?"  
"Well, in order to satisfy the needs of the collective, the hero must abandon the self and solidify his image as an icon that will forever be remembered."
"Uh, so…this is the sunset shot."
"Uh-huh."
~~~~~
"People, I've had an epiphany!"
~~~~~
"Get yer slimy webbed phalanges off mah boots!"
~~~~~
"So which way d'ya think they went?  Wanna sniff the air or commune with a buffalo or somethin'?"
~~~~~
"You're eatin' his ashes!"
~~~~~
"Victor, you were wooden!  There, I said it."
~~~~~
"What do you say, Sheriff?"
"Uh…clearly, the robbers came from this direction.  I say we track this pipe back to its hydraulic origin and apprehend the culprits behind this aquatic conundrum!"
"What'd he say?"
"I think he said, 'Follow the pipe.'"


Like I mentioned, the animation in this movie is quite impressive.  Every little nuance in facial expression, every vocal inflection--'t'is all captured well-night perfectly.  You can almost feel the heat of the desert and smell the musty, empty odor of the creaky saloon.  It's pretty fun;D

The music is very good, as well--though, of course, it's Hans Zimmer, and he is indubitably One of the Greats among soundtrack production (at least in my opinion *ostentatious sniff*), so that's no surprise.  But seriously, I love how it blends from delicate yet gritty melodies to classic old-time yodeling to textured Mexican tunes.  

The plot line is...odd, but adequately entertaining.  One moment it's challenging you to keep pace with a delightfully continual stream of witty one-liners, and the next it's meandering along a slow, psychedelic, brooding dreamscape (you'd have to see it to get it).  In fact, Hamlette described it as "a wacky, wonderful exercise in hallucinatory hilarity"--and I can't tell you how perfectly fitting of a description that is!  

I love how the makers incorporated quips and references concerning classic Western movie-making methods--the saloons, sheriff badges, the apparently Clint Eastwood reference, the drunk doctors, etc.  

So, overall, I'd definitely recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys spin-offs or just plain weird animated movies.  Otherwise, you might not like it;)

"As long as this sign hangs here, we got hope."  *bullets decimate the sign*


Comments

  1. Oh, my golly, those quotes are SO HILARIOUS. I gotta see this movie now :)

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    Replies
    1. Aren't they, though?!?! You really should--'t'is quite a hilarious movie!

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    2. Oh, I can tell :) "People, I've had an epiphany!" RIGHT.

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    3. Haha, yes, it's awesome!:)

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  2. I'm glad that this appears to be a wacky/hilarious movie, I've been meaning to watch it.... soon.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, it definitely is! I hope you can watch it soon, Alicia:)

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  3. What I can't quite over is how very much Rango actually looks like Johnny Depp! It's the weirdest thing ever! But I do like this movie a great deal, one of the only animated films that my sister and I have differing opinions over. It's one of the wackiest westerns out there.

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    1. Right, Carissa?! It's so oddly fun how similar they are:D

      Ah, does your sister dislike it, then?;) It definitely is a weird one.

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  4. Haha. :-D My cousins are really into this movie, so they dragged me into watching it with them last summer (despite my lack of enthusiasm in Animated Movies in General). I remember thinking it was just WEIRD. Probably cause I don't watch a lot of things like this. ;-P

    It is an original premise, though, I'll give you that. The only movie I know of centered around a chameleon. ;-D And it's pretty funny, yes. The Spirit of the West was the funniest thing -- Clint Eastwood wearing his Spaghetti Western garb, driving around in that little golf cart with all his Oscar awards in the back. :-)

    I admit, it's not my kind of movie at all. BUT I can appreciate the wit. :-)

    ~Emma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, I understand--it's a pretty strange movie. Certainly weird.

      Haha, yep; not too many chameleon stories out there. Hahaha, yes. The "golden guardians" XD

      That's okay--it's not my absolute favorite, either. And exactly, the humor is pretty good:D

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  5. Oh, my gracious! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!
    I thought it was rather... eh, ODD the first time through, but I watched it again and again and I found it funnier and deeper, and it ended up becoming a favorite of mine.

    Great review, by the way; I loved the quotes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! Someone else!!!!:D
      Exactly! It certainly grows on you as you watch it;)
      Aww, thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Heehee, yes, I especially enjoyed choosing the quotes XD

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  6. I was not much of a fan of this movie when I first saw it. I actually was slightly annoyed while watching it!

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    Replies
    1. Haha, I can see how it'd be annoying;-P Parts of it rather irk me, too, so you're not alone!;)

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  7. DKoren introduced me to this movie by sending me a copy for my birthday, and oh, I'm so glad she did! It is weirdly wonderful.

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    1. That's so cool! I know, it's so ingenious and hilarious:D

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  8. Ok yeah, I need to check this out. ;D *officially going on the list*

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