An animated Western with a chameleon as the hero is an unlikely concept, but Rango is a great film thanks to its witty mix of parody, intriguing characters, and sophisticated humor. When a common pet chameleon who's suffer... more »ing from an identity crisis crashes headfirst into the stereotypically classic Western town of Dirt, he has the unique opportunity to completely reinvent himself. Dubbing himself Rango, the chameleon boasts of his own heroism and creates a spiral of deception that lands him an appointment as sheriff of a town in crisis. The question is, can one unprepared and completely unqualified chameleon possibly change this little town's future for the better? And how do road kill, enlightenment, and the Spirit of the West figure in to the equation? The animation looks great in this film and kids will love the goofy characters and crazy scenarios. But adults will find the film intriguing on a whole different level because of its comic parody of the iconic classic and spaghetti Western genres and the skilled balance of action, romance, and adventure. Kudos to director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) and the talented voice cast, among them Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, and Bill Nighy, for an award-worthy film. Some kids ages 7 to 9 may find the film rather dark and the action a bit too intense, but kids 10 and older should be fine as long as parents don't object to the PG rating (some rude humor, language, smoking, and action). --Tami Horiuchi« less
Pat E. (missionary) from BARBERTON, OH Reviewed on 12/10/2011...
I went to the theater to see this movie with my sister. We were the only ones laughing hilarioussly through the whole movie. I think it's an eage thing. If you didn't grow up watching American westerns you will miss the subtle jokes and lines from famous western movies. I've seen it three times and just bought my own copy to watch again and again.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Patrick J. (bossajake) from TOLEDO, OH Reviewed on 7/18/2011...
i loved this film, it's funny, sarcastic and beautifully animated. since there is no synopsis included at the moment, here's jason buchanan's synopsis of this film from the all movie guide (rovi) site: "A pet chameleon who has lived his entire life in the confines of a cozy glass terrarium discovers adventure beyond his wildest imagination in this animated Western adventure from Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski. When we first meet Rango (voice of Johnny Depp), the sheltered pet chameleon is safe in his terrarium, and embarking on epic adventures through the power of imagination. Then, suddenly, his safe existence is irrevocably upended thanks to a bump in the road that sends him soaring out of a car window and right onto the searing-hot asphalt of a desert highway. On the advice of a wise armadillo who relays the story of the Spirit of the West, our conical-eyed hero sets out in search of a town called Dirt, narrowly escaping a hungry hawk and encountering a self-sufficient pioneer named Beans (voice of Isla Fisher) along the way. Upon arriving in the dusty desert town, Rango wanders into the local bar and convinces the townspeople that he's a notorious gunslinger with a lightning-fast trigger finger. When one of the locals challenges Rango to a showdown on Main Street, the hawk that menaced our hero on his way to town shows up looking for a rematch, and ends up beak-down in the dirt. Convinced that Rango is the real deal, the Mayor (voice of Ned Beatty) decides to name the brave chameleon their new sheriff. But Rango's honeymoon in Dirt is short-lived when bandits steal the town's entire supply of water, and the newly christened sheriff forms a posse in order to get it back. Little do they realize they were all being manipulated by one greedy power-monger who's determined to keep the people of Dirt under his thumb with the help of a diabolical villain named Rattlesnake Jake (voice of Bill Nighy) whose Gatling-gun tail makes Swiss cheese of all challengers. Now, if Rango can just locate the Spirit of the West (voice of Timothy Olyphant) and summon the courage to realize his true potential, perhaps he can finally free the people of Dirt from the tyranny that binds them, and discover his true destiny under the scorching desert sun."
4 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Karen D. Reviewed on 7/17/2011...
I rented this movie after hearing all the hype about it and wow was I sorry I wasted a dollar on this film, This movie was really boring and didn't do a good job of keeping your attention my family found themselves looking all over the room rather then watching the screen.And with good movies everyone's eyes are glued to the movie but not with this one.It was a huge disappointment for us and very bizarre. Animation is very good, and that was about all. Movie was just bad, and boring. Humor was crude, and not even funny. Has a string of mild profanities to include 31 flavors of "hell" which didn't do anything for me or the film. We're sorry we wasted our time and money. If you just have to see it, rent it from the Redbox or Netflix.The comedy just wasn't there, the desert / wild west theme got old quick, and the story really was quite boring. I will pass on this movie. This is not a children's film and has none of the humor you would expect. I would also suggest watching this movie when you put the kids to bed if you don't want them to hear the Mild Profanities and for them to see all the violence.
And one last thing is movie wasn't even worth the one star review but you couldn't rate the movie unless you gave it at least one star.