Summary: A lonely, sheltered chameleon is accidently dumped in the Mojave desert. Insert classic Western plot here.
Ok, Rango is not the sort of thing that I usually review here in The C Word, but it is also not the movie you see in its advertisements. Inspired more by Sergio Leone and Quentin Tarantino than Brad Bird and John Lasseter, Rango is the closest thing to a cult animated movie you will ever see from a major studio. It is actually surprising that it ever got greenlit at all, let alone with a $135 million budget. And we should all thank our lucky stars that it did because it looks fucking amazing. The textures are phenomenal (although maybe not quite as detailed as the feathers in Legend of the Guardians – which you should also check out, since you probably haven’t) and there were times when I could have believed the scenery was real.
Alright, so the visuals are stunning, but it’s still just a kid’s movie, right? Not quite. There are many pratfalls and other visual jokes that will keep the kiddies entertained, but a lot of the movie is surprisingly adult, as instanced by the opening narration that contains the line “the night was moist with anticipation”. Chances are the kids won’t get that, but it is certainly not something you’ll find in Toy Story. But unexpectedly dirty jokes are not enough to get me to review a big budget animated family movie in a spot reserved for cult movies. No, I’m reviewing it because it was written for movie geeks and I don’t want anyone to miss it. If you are reading this and it is still in theatres, stop right now and get your ass to the nearest cinema. If, as is more likely the case, it is already out for rent, skip the rental store and go buy the bluray.
Almost every shot in the movie, every sound cue in this movie, is an homage to something. And not just classic Westerns, there are scenes that jump from Apocalypse Now to Star Wars to WWII films. The more you know about movies the more you will get out of this, which is not to say that those who are not as fluent in cinema history will not enjoy it. Even if you haven’t seen all the movies referenced, you will probably know the clichés it is playing with.
And this leads to some of the criticisms that have been levelled at Rango. Some people claim that the plot is too derivative (*cough* Chinatown *cough, cough*) and detracts from the rest of the film. While I agree that there is nothing in the plot that we haven’t seen before, I think that is intentional. The filmmakers are taking the tropes of Westerns (and let’s face it, there are like three plots for all Westerns), and using this familiarity to build a new experience. The clichés are essentially a cinematic shorthand used to guide the character through his arc. All Rango knows of the west is what he has learned through movies and so these things colour his vision and cause him to do the things he does and the audience’s familiarity with these conventions keep them right there with him. But whatever, the most important thing is that this movie is crazy fun. I loved it. Go check it out and decide for yourself.
Alright, so the visuals are stunning, but it’s still just a kid’s movie, right? Not quite. There are many pratfalls and other visual jokes that will keep the kiddies entertained, but a lot of the movie is surprisingly adult, as instanced by the opening narration that contains the line “the night was moist with anticipation”. Chances are the kids won’t get that, but it is certainly not something you’ll find in Toy Story. But unexpectedly dirty jokes are not enough to get me to review a big budget animated family movie in a spot reserved for cult movies. No, I’m reviewing it because it was written for movie geeks and I don’t want anyone to miss it. If you are reading this and it is still in theatres, stop right now and get your ass to the nearest cinema. If, as is more likely the case, it is already out for rent, skip the rental store and go buy the bluray.
Almost every shot in the movie, every sound cue in this movie, is an homage to something. And not just classic Westerns, there are scenes that jump from Apocalypse Now to Star Wars to WWII films. The more you know about movies the more you will get out of this, which is not to say that those who are not as fluent in cinema history will not enjoy it. Even if you haven’t seen all the movies referenced, you will probably know the clichés it is playing with.
And this leads to some of the criticisms that have been levelled at Rango. Some people claim that the plot is too derivative (*cough* Chinatown *cough, cough*) and detracts from the rest of the film. While I agree that there is nothing in the plot that we haven’t seen before, I think that is intentional. The filmmakers are taking the tropes of Westerns (and let’s face it, there are like three plots for all Westerns), and using this familiarity to build a new experience. The clichés are essentially a cinematic shorthand used to guide the character through his arc. All Rango knows of the west is what he has learned through movies and so these things colour his vision and cause him to do the things he does and the audience’s familiarity with these conventions keep them right there with him. But whatever, the most important thing is that this movie is crazy fun. I loved it. Go check it out and decide for yourself.
A+
originally posted Mar. 24, 2011
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