Rango

After Wes Anderson did it, another live-action film director whom at first glance one wouldn’t expect to take such a step entered the field of animation and showed us how tedious all of those industrial animated movies from DreamWorks, Pixar and other specialised studios really are. On the other hand, as a creator of films with a strong presence of computer-generated effects, characters and even entire sequences, Verbinski’s work actually has something in common with animation, and his original project, in which after a long time he doesn’t have Disney’s Agent Smith breathing down his neck, but is rather nudged by the creative maniacs from Nickelodeon Movies, will allow viewers to see the extent of his creative distinctiveness. What Rango has in common with the Fantastic Mr. Fox is overarching exaggeration and self-reflection of genre formulas, as well as visual stylisation that shuns the simple shapes and multifarious colours that are typical of the competition. Specifically, though we have computer animation here, the stylisation leans towards a coarse hyper-realism with an abundance of the grotesque and deranged carnivalesque details of Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Most of the characters have their own distinct personalities, which are incorporated into the smallest details of their movements, while on a general level the design of the Wild West animal characters looks more like a collection of discarded exhibits from a school biology classroom than vibrant photos in the style of National Geographic (see, for example, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole). In addition to the visuals, however, Rango has an unexpected ace up its sleeve in the form of an overarching meta-genre self-reflection that makes the film a spectacle that parents are more likely to make their kids go to see rather than being forced to do so by their kids. With its dialogue working on multiple levels and relating to the nature of heroism, the role of particular narrative tropes and the heroes’ bond with their stories, it is a caustic reflection on how animated films are, paradoxically and essentially against their intrinsic nature, constrained by their aspiration to be like live-action films, or rather how they are hindered by the fact that audiences now automatically expect them to resemble live-action films. The fact that intellectual mischief dressed up as a dusty and rough-around-the-edges western won the Oscar for best animated film is actually the fulfilment of another formula – the outsider reaches a happy ending and is accepted into mainstream society. (06/05/2014)

The film features excellent individual elements that stand out on their own (Clint), underlined by spectacular visuals (Deakins), playful music, and a horde of allusions, quotes, and parodies. Unfortunately, the result of the aforementioned is a rather incoherent patchwork, whose issue is not so much that it dabbles in multiple genres, but rather that it lacks the real wit that might have brought (paradoxically!) a bit of childishness in Verbinski's writing, the absence of which, on the other hand, I can quite understand after the Pirates trilogy. (03/08/2011)

For the passage where this was a not holds barred spaghetti western that in each camera angle and every tone nods to its roots, Verbinski can dig Leone up from his grave and shake him be the hand as equals. The only snag is that this constantly oscillates between surrealist animated adventure for adults, packed full of references to movies that are rarely nodded at (kicking off right at the beginning with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, for instance), through ingenious, slapstick inspired situations in Pirates of the Caribbean style, to spaghetti western. And all of these passages separately are gems, but they don’t work together, getting in the way of each other, because each of these approaches alone are enough make (and deserve) a feature length movie of their own. So on one hand it resuscitates several dying genres (not just western or surrealist, but also intelligent, non-ridiculing parodies or pastiches and CGI animation works as such), on the other it rather wastes the potential. And you must watch it in the English language version, not so much for Depp as for Nighy and Olyphant, and the Czech subtitles are playful and inventive (although very loose) for a change OST score: 5/5 (11/03/2011)

Too bad I didn't see the film in the original language! Otherwise, of course, the animated fantastical West! Overall it was conceived in a nicely normal way... almost makes me wonder how a child viewer can "chew on" this. And even though perfect animation is nothing exceptional nowadays, here I am truly impressed... and that music... hmmmm. A new take on the animated film. (21/03/2011)

The film gets off to a great start, the action scenes are witty and brisk, and Zimmer's great music works wonders. I found the main idea and especially its development rather weak and far from fulfilling my expectations, but the pace is quite high, the director successfully and originally gives us a taste of several different genres, and the main character himself wins your sympathy from the beginning and becomes incredibly entertaining with his immediacy and a reasonable amount of goofiness. My only real regret is the boring and clichéd ending, where the screenwriter either didn't know what to do anymore, or tried to make Rango into something more than just a throwaway kids' show. As an animated flick, it’s above average, but as an adventure comedy, it will soon fade from my memory. 3.5* (27/07/2011)