"I'm an amphibian."
"Ain't no shame in that."
Rango (Depp) is a pet chameleon, who wears Hawaiian shirts and conducts theater workshops with the objects in his tank. A car accident strands him in the desert, and without the ability to cope: he can't camouflage the right color and doesn't know how to avoid predators. Eventually he ends up in the town of Dirt, where strangers don't survive long.
He decides to create a brand new persona: a tough gunslinger. He even manages, accidentally, to rid the town of the hawk that is terrorizing them. His new-found celebrity leads the Mayor (Beatty) to appoint him the new town sheriff. His first duty is to find what happened to all the water in town. With the help of the feisty Beans (Fisher) and a posse of unique desert folk, can Rango save the day or will he be the latest victim of outlaw Rattlesnake Jake (Nighy)?
Let's start with the obvious... the characters are hideous. A Disney version would be much cuter, but this isn't a cute kids movie. It appeals to an older crowd.
The story and characters are homages to classic Western movies, especially Clint Eastwood movies. The clearest example is the Spirit of the West (Timothy Olyphant), who is a direct Eastwood knock-off. The film refers to many classic films, through characters, quotes, settings, and situations. The best example of a character, is the Mayor, who strongly resembles Noah Cross from Chinatown.
The cast is great, with Johnny Depp once again proving that he can do anything. The film is funnier than you'd expect, filled with slapstick for the kids and smart humor for everyone else. The film was so well received, that is now nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Film.
Rango (2011) 107 minutes
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp as Rango
Isla Fisher as Beans
Abigail Breslin as Priscilla
Ned Beatty as Mayor
Alfred Molina as Roadkill
Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake
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