Rango - Movie review

Rango
U; Animation
Dir: Gore Verbinski
Voice Cast: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina
Rating: '''1/2


Eye see you! Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) gets touch-feely with
Miss Beans (voiced by Isla Fisher)

What's it about: Rango isn't in 3-D. Which is a respite from those bulky frames shoved in our faces to make that quick buck. Rango proves that you don't need that extra dimension to dazzle.
It's one of the simplest story put together by a bunch of super-talented people. Depp plays a lizard who tries to bring order in an anarchic desert named Dirt. There are other creatures supporting Rango in his adventuresu00a0-- the villain Jake (Nighy), the mayor (Beatty) and many others. Think of this as a western that has a talking lizard instead of Clint Eastwood kicking the bad guys' backsides and romancing the women.

What's hot: The strongest point here is the outstanding animation. Making 2-D more appealing than the 3-D gimmicks isn't easy, but Verbinksi pays attention to details and brings those sketches to life. It helps that he has a great working rapport with Depp. Rango gets that sexy swagger thanks to the actor's ability to breathe that madness to anything he touches. There's never a dull moment in the desertu00a0-- be it championing the cause of providing water to all the animals or putting civility into the daily business there's a lot to be done. Nighy is on the top of his game as the slithering rattle snake. Thankfully despite the fact that there are a dozen odd creatures in the film, none of them try to be cutesy or Disney-esque to cater to the family audience. Despite the jokes, there's a gritty edge to the film. If you are sharp enough then look out for multiple references to the Western classics A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and others.

What's not: It's not for the kids. So don't go expecting a Ratatouille. There are moments when the film gets too serious and wrapped around its own mind. It takes a while for the real action to kick in, so you need to be patient.

What to do: An experimental attempt at blending two different genres comes off as a success thanks to the brilliant animation and some stellar voiceovers.