Rango

Rango is a weird, enjoyable little movie about an aspiring actor/lizard who through a series of random events becomes sheriff of a town called Dirt.

Even for most animated talking animal movies, that premise is definitely out there. Thankfully though, director Gore Verbinski of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Weather Man fame has crafted one of the more original and gorgeous looking movies I've seen in a long time.

Johnny Depp leads a terrific cast of character actors, all of whom were picked not for their name, but for their actual vocal talent, a choice that helps the audience really get to know and like the characters themselves instead of just guessing who's who in the celebrity filled cast.

As I said earlier, Johnny D is the lead here, and he does a great job as usual. Depp is always easy to watch, or hear in this case, even in the worst of movies. Yet there's a great a balancing act he does with Rango that not only continues his list of eccentric characters, but also allows him to bring a little more heart to the character, something he hasn't had the chance to do since at least Finding Neverland in 2004.

The thing I think I liked most about this movie though, is the fact that it's a straight up western, one of my favorite genre's. It's becoming increasingly rare for them to get made nowadays, which breaks my heart. To me, there's just something so epic about a man (or lizard) in the old west who clings to his convictions and stands up for what he believes in, no matter the outcome, and Rango does just that. Between this and True Grit, I can only hope that Hollywood pays attention and realize that people will still flock to a western, as long as it's done right.

Now, you can't talk about this movie and not mention the absolutely beautiful animation done by ILM. Oddly enough it's the company's first animated film, and they knock it out of the park. Each frame is filled with stunning detail and each character is so meticulously created that you could easily fall in love with what's on screen and not even pay attention to what's happening in the story.

In the end, Rango is a very enjoyable movie made better with great ideas, great acting and incredible animation. Even if you hate westerns, you will easily find something to like here.