The Lone Ranger

I can't remember the last time I had such a great time in the movie theatre. Gore Verbinski lived up to his reputation as a megalomaniac with a sense of humor, for which I am truly grateful. As well as for all the metric tons of references (not even Tarantino could squeeze that many tasteful quotes from Leone's films, from Once Upon a Time in the West to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to A Fistful of Dynamite, into all his films combined, not to mention the allusions to The Wild Bunch and many other classics of the genre)! The story has everything it should have and is very easily accessible even to people who don't know the Lone Ranger at all. The villains are extra negative, the two main positive heroes are likable, their (not only) verbal shootouts are excellent, Johnny Depp's every grimace is priceless (say what you will, critics). The finale of "Tonto on the Machine" is thrilling, extremely imaginative, funny and suspenseful, but I cannot agree with those who say that it is preceded by two hours of boredom. Bah! I'd much rather see a second installment of The Lone Ranger than a fifth Pirates, which has already burned out once without Verbinski. So, perhaps... (09/07/2013)

A small big man smokes a hallucinogenic peace pipe with Pirates of the Caribbean and a mute grotesque. A movie that looks like it's being told by a senile crazy Indian... because it's being told by a senile crazy Indian who also likes to listen to himself talk. The middle passage is a little weak, but otherwise I had a great time. Verbinski sometimes drowns in beloved references, but his "meta-westerns" are smarter than most genre competitors. That guy is not Tonto. (02/11/2013)

Exotic and beautifully shot summer bollocks. Depp is a lot of fun and Hammer is alright, but neither of them, nor the cookie-cutter script are enough to keep us interested for almost two and a half hours. It's a breezy and brilliantly scored adventure for the whole family, but it's cold as a penguin’s butt inside and relies too heavily on the fact that we're still interested in Depp's peculiar pirate character – very little from Verbinski. A better 3* (28/11/2015)

An alternative to the Pirates of the Caribbean. Same director, same music, same Depp and, surprisingly, also same Helena… on the other hand the setting is different, which is good. I’m really glad that Johnny Depp agreed to play the Indian in this movie. He’ll probably play weirdoes to the end of his life, because from what I see, he’s really found himself in these characters. I went to see this movie to have fun, relax and enjoy a nice adventurous movie that will make me laugh but also put me in awe over some of its action scenes. The actions scenes here are a bit on the weaker side, because they reek of CGI something terrible, but I guess it couldn’t have been any other way. Despite this flaw, the action is good and the movie is enjoyable. As a Disney product, this movie met my expectations to the fullest. The 151 minutes flew by as a one-day trip around the country. And I must say that it was a joy to spend time watching this movie, turning my brain off and enjoying some decent fun. (07/07/2013)

It looked it’d be a real dud, but it’s watchable. Those who were thrilled by Pirates of the Caribbean or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull will certainly not be bored, as this film is similar both formally and aesthetically and in terms of the plot. It certainly has a unique mix of traditional Western elements (set design, costumes) perfectly matched in an excellent visual package (great effects, dynamic action scenes). The middle part of the film has are several redundant funny scenes and boring stretches, but William Fichtner and Tom Wilkinson are very entertaining, and the main duo of heroes is a classic. So, it’s fun though not impressive, and everyone knows how it will end from the beginning. Still a likable thing, though. (02/03/2014)