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Sound Off: Gore Verbinski's 'Rango' with Johnny Depp - Thoughts?

by Alex Billington
March 4, 2011

Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Arriving in theaters this weekend is the newest creation of former Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski and CGI company Industrial Light & Magic - the animated adventure Rango - starring an chameleon voiced and acted by Johnny Depp. We've been excited for this ever since first introducing Depp as Rango last June. So how is the animated western? Is it another animated bore or something much more incredible? How are the visuals care of cinematographer Roger Deakins? If you've seen it, leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought of Rango!

To fuel the fire, I actually really enjoyed Rango. It's an unbelievably beautiful film, so much so that I think it'll get an Oscar nomination next year for Best Animated Film. On top of that, Depp totally becomes Rango, I was lost in his character, and the story is fun, too. There is a part near the end (minor spoilers) where Rango leaves the town of Dirt and ends up back at the "road" he started and wanders across it at night. That entire scene was amazing, I teared up it was so emotional, and that's very rare for an animated flick. I love the characters design and the animation was absolutely incredible, thanks to ILM of course. I think I'll find myself revisiting this often, I really enjoyed it and the more I think about it, the more I want to see it again.

So what did you think of Rango? A wonderful animated adventure or boring animated mess?

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Reader Feedback - 43 Comments

Still not sure whether or not I should see this.....Although Bill Nighy is one of my favorite actors....hmm.....decisions decisions.....

Chris on Mar 5, 2011

I actually liked it, that little lizard is quite charming and the villain is really creepy, but the plot is weird, there are somethings that doesn´t fit, etc. but visually is stunning

BaSs1L on Mar 5, 2011

I agree with you so much. specially about that scene you mention. just beautiful, it felt so indie. great film!, unfortunately, here in Argentina, this movie only came out dubbed in spanish. it sucks! but im already waiting to own the blu-ray. just awesome.

Lukass2006 on Mar 5, 2011

I would like to see this with Gore Verbinski in charge.. Johnny Depp.. ILM seen the trailer at the moment it is getting time to be able to watch...

Al on Mar 5, 2011

Really enjoyed it and the most noteworthy aspect about it is that this is not a typical CGI children oriented mass production. It is a true western in that it is gritty, sometimes quite abstract and existential but it also has good moments of humour and sweetness. Visually it is stunning and the score by Hans Zimmer is great. A must see if you want to see an adult animation that is not afraid of doing something different....

Mardike on Mar 5, 2011

i couldn't have said it better.

Anonymous on Mar 6, 2011

Loved it! It's an Animated film for kids and adults that's done in a way that Pixar and Dreamworks could never do and would never do. The animation and detail is incredible, including the lighting, visual style, and action sequences. But most of all, the story is so wonderful and yet elegantly simple that it's never trying to bonk you or your kids over the head with a "moral of the day" which, let's be fair, even the best Pixar films do--let alone all the other Dreamworks and Sony animations.

George Caltsoudas on Mar 5, 2011

Absolutely adored every single minute of it!

Anonymous on Mar 5, 2011

It's such a great movie!! The animation is really something: a state of the art work, and the story - despite some criticism - has some serious-deep-philosophical and existencialist issues, BUT all wrap up and disguised as a messy kid's stuff, wich makes it BRILLIANT if you know where to look. You know you're seeing something great, when a turtle makes a John Huston impersonation... The future Mr. Rango...The future...

Leinergroove on Mar 5, 2011

Go out and see it I loved this movie so much. The characters are funny and witty and dumb and beautiful and ugly. It all fits together so nicely and it really feels like a Western. Not some crap kids movie. There's a lot of mysticism in it that I really enjoyed and some cool dream sequences. A lot of the aspects of this movie will be lost on smaller children, but I feel that this is a movie that shouldn't be missed. Definitely worth seeing in theaters. There was a lot of sexual humor in there as well which I thought to be really funny. It's an all around beautiful film with some of the best CGI I've ever seen. It all fits so nicely.

Dan W on Mar 5, 2011

This movie looks beautiful. The animation is absolutely incredible. That being said, I really felt like a lot of the jokes fell flat. Yeah, some of the jokes were funny, but I expect more from a comedy. However, the animation alone makes it worth seeing. And who knows, perhaps other people will appreciate the humor of it more.

FilmMaker2009 on Mar 5, 2011

I agree. As much as its visually pleasing, the story plotted along and kept me looking at my watch hoping it was over. I really wanted to like it but maybe better next time. Great effort.

TC on Mar 6, 2011

i went in with very low expectations, but i personally loved this film. obviously it had amazing animation, but i was astonished at the close attention to detail. there were alot of little things i really appreciated and although the comedy couldve been a bit better, the storyline was still very good and the voices were perfectly fitting for each character; also loved the music (by Hans Zimmer who always does a great job). definitely wouldnt be able to appreciate this if i was a kid. very similar to Fantastic Mr. Fox in the sense that everyone brought their kids to it, but i didnt hear kids laugh more than a couple times. i think if they had tried to include more witty comedy than stupid comedy, it couldve almost been as good as Fantastic Mr. Fox, but Wes Anderson's film trumps.. again 🙂

john on Mar 5, 2011

I think it was actually a very nice movie. It was abit fuzzy about what kind of genre it belonged to. In Sweden, it is portraited as a kids movie which it definiately is not (rated wrongly and the movie is dubbed which really sucks). It was visually great, not beautiful because that was not what it intended to be but I guess beautifully ugly would be an adequet description. The music was very nice, the editing of classic music to make it fit into the movie was masterly done and a joy to see and hear. The plot was average and I think the trailer spoiled part of the "climax" but spoiling the movie seems to be the trend of trailers now... And lastly, the cameo appearance of Clint Eastwood was fun. Overall, a very good movie that breaks the mold and its only true drawback was how it was marketed.

Fethalion on Mar 5, 2011

That wasen't played by Clint Eastwood, but it was cool anyway.

Staatz on Mar 7, 2011

A beautiful film. I was absolutely mesmerized by the detail of the various characters. Every aspect of the movie was awesome. I highly recommend Rango to everyone.

Anonymous on Mar 6, 2011

Easily one of the strangest movies I've ever seen, and a bit slow in parts - but overall entertaining.

guest on Mar 6, 2011

just saw it today and thought it was great. johnny's voice was absolutely fantastic as well as all the visual effects. very touching and sweet. gore did a fantastic job directing. this sets a new standard for all animated movies. a work of art.

lkmsmiles97 on Mar 6, 2011

I love anything with johnny depp he's movie star husband. It was funny and just cute

Ailene475 on Mar 6, 2011

I only went cause a friend of mine wanted to see it, but surprisingly enough I had a great time. Rango is funny and very entertaining, something new and different. Wasn't expecting most of the outcomes. I was expecting his death cause of the owl but.... well you'll see.

mikey on Mar 6, 2011

Great film for me and my daughter; we loved it!

Jc197 on Mar 6, 2011

Best of 2011 so far. I loved it.

Piratesfan60 on Mar 6, 2011

i had a smile throughout the entire movie! favorite movie of 2011 so far 😀 i love Rango!!!

Smrtalec on Mar 6, 2011

It's essentially a Coen Bros remake of Fivel Goes West. The only difference was, all the kids in the theater were bored to tears. The pacing is deliberately slow in parts, and the comical elements are all very grown up. It's worth seeing if you like genre mash-ups.

Ion677 on Mar 6, 2011

"all the kids in the theater were bored to tears." Well to bad for them!

Anonymous on Mar 6, 2011

Not the expearance I had in my theater, my kids (girls, 6 and 8) were transfixed.

Staatz on Mar 7, 2011

Did not live up to trailer hype. Wife and I fell asleep. the kids thought it was average. Would have been better if they cut 20 minutes out of it.

Gil on Mar 6, 2011

Language more adult than at children level. Plot confusing, water; desert; wondering in desert; water gushing all through the town either because the town is in a dry lake bottom or the mole tunnels all center on the town. Best animation I have seen.

Anonymous on Mar 6, 2011

I don't know if kids liked it, but I certainly did! I was in tears of laughter for half of the time, and the for other half I was on the edge of my seat. It was visually astounding, there were several references to old westerns and other movies, and the acting was fantastic. I can't wait to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

Ms. Beans on Mar 6, 2011

I haven't seen it yet, so my apologies for not contributing to the thread-- but I was just wondering if anyone who HAS seen it thinks there could possibly be a Rango trilogy?

Cracky on Mar 6, 2011

... in the future, that is.

Cracky on Mar 6, 2011

Saw it yesterday, my son liked it, my daughter did not. I thought it was good, much more a "tween" movie than a "kiddie" movie. Johnny Depp is wonderful, is there nothing that man can't do? Don't take anyone under 8, they will be bored to tears. Oh and by the way, that was NOT CLint at the end, but Tim Olyphant! Check the credits!

weezy1 on Mar 6, 2011

Yeah, during that whole part I was thinking "this sounds a whoooole heck of a lot like Olyphant..." And then I stayed for the credits to make sure. Great scene, though. Loved the movie a ton.

Chazzy on Mar 7, 2011

Thanks for pointing that out. Unfortunately I only got to see the dubbed version (not by choice, our cinema only showed the dubbed one) so therefore could only assume that it was Clint Eastwood that also did the voice-over. Didn't even bother to look it up but now I have. However I wasn't totally wrong according to IMDBs biography of the role Spirit of the West: A charcter from the movie Rango, inspired by Clint Eastwoods role in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Fethalion on Mar 7, 2011

great film, like ppl are saying - visually stunning, funny, a tonne of fun all round

ozzie on Mar 7, 2011

loved it :D, i like Dr. Gonzo's and Raoul Duke's Cameo in the begining hahahhaa

Anonymous on Mar 7, 2011

Who needs 3D? Rango is the way to go!

Flobay on Mar 7, 2011

Loved Rango. Looked great and it was a classic in my opinion. And I'm glad it wasn't over marketed and spoiled.

Walking Dead on Mar 7, 2011

I liked it quite a bit once it got going. Love the nod to Fear and Loathing but this was a pretty awesome spin on Yojimbo/A Fistful of Dollars. Stunningly realistic CG rendering way just pure eye candy and all voice actors really fit their roles. A little longer than it needed to be but the humor was great and the action/chase scenes we're jaw dropping. Surprising how epic it felt (maybe Hans Zimmer had something to do with that:P) and was Rattlesnake Jake not one of the coolest and bad ass villains we've seen in a while??

Anonymous on Mar 7, 2011

At first glance I thought this was borrowing a little too much from the purgatory/death scene in Pirates 3, but as it settled i started to like it more. Rango, though he was a chameleon (who changed color once) he gave me a sort of Kermit the Frog vibe at times but he was very cool to watch. in all, I dug this movie. Not head over heels for it but i thought that what they did well, they seemed to really pull off. I also really liked the non-7-year-old appeal. I think Hollywood needs more of that. The fear & loathing nod was priceless.

Anonymous on Mar 7, 2011

Great article man !

Home buisness guy on Mar 8, 2011

I did not just "like" this movie I have seen a lot of films the past 48 years and IMO animated or not this was THE SINGLE MOST ENTERTAINING MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN !!! It had a sensitivity to it that is unmatched...ever...in the history of film, along with a Theme that was so PERFECT for any film lover and ther's the fact that for the entiore 1 hour 40 odd minutes this film just reeks of PERFECTION. I am in fact a hug Clint Eastwood fan and I have in fact seen Chinatown many times, as well as every western this film references in even the slightest way, but what out this film over the top for me, beyond any other that I have ever seen, was the obvousl amount of Patience and Love that went into writting the script. But that was NOT clint eastwood, it was someone pretending to be his "No Name" character. also, to unbelievabnle perfection, right sown to his voice. I saw a side of Depp in this thing that can only be described in the following way. He is the ultmate movie lovers greatest dream come true. A guy who actually give's a ratts you know what about the ART of filmmaking, it's power to influence people and delliver a message of value in an entertaining way. Yes this film i a cartoon, animated and such, but it has more substance than just about every single ove action film I have ever ever seen. IMO..."Rango" is...in every single way a movie can be...a "MASTERPEICE".

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