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Movie review: Rango

Not your average animated kid’s movie

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

By Amanda Harrison

March 5, 2011 | 10:47 a.m. CST

Rango may be animated, but that doesn’t mean it’s a young kid’s movie. And, kids should definitely not see this movie. Between the adult humor and language, and not to mention a nose that reflects the image of a male body part on the blind rodent Balthazar, Rango brings a little too much mature content for your average adolescent.

One father and daughter left the theater almost halfway through.

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The plot itself is slightly predictable. It includes all the cliché parts of the old western movies that the movie undoubtedly nods to. There’s the traditional hero, searching for who he is, the wise old man of the west, and the shootouts.

The film follows Rango (Johnny Depp), a pet chameleon who is left in the desert by unfortunate circumstances. He tries to create a name for himself and become the hero the town of Dirt needs. Dirt is suffering from a disappearance of their most precious resource in the desert: water. Rango becomes Sheriff and runs into all the outlaws of Dirt.

The animation is quite spectacular and definitely reaches a new level that only Pixar could accomplish. The hype surrounding the animation in Rango lives up to the billing.

Rango is amusing, for the right audience, and thrilling thanks to cinematographers Gore Verbinski and Roger Deakins. They gave the film real action that helps the audience forget they are watching talking animals and allows them to get lost in the desert scenes that Rango and his friends call home.

Vox Rating: V V V

Comments on this article

     

    I disagree. Saying that kids should 'definitely not see this movie' is quite a bold statement. It may not be for toddlers but the fun adventurous plot and humor seem to be right up any kid's alley. Also there were a lot of really clever film references for adults. It was funny and pretty well done. I could've done without the smoking animals, but overall, I did appreciate the nod to old westerns.

    Also, Rango was not done by Pixar, which you seem to suggest.

    Posted by christina Honan on Mar 9, 2011 at 2:23 p.m. (Report Comment)

     
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