Big Screen Peter: Rango

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie.

review by Peter Lewis

“Rango” should seem oddly, almost teasingly familiar. It’s because you’ve seen the movie before, a thousand times over and in countless variations on the same theme.

It is a quintessential quest film, with a broken and self-doubting protagonist on the prowl not only for physical successes, but for something much larger: emotional connection.

And while the film cleverly features homages to its predecessors, it is entirely unique unto itself. “Rango” may prop itself up on the shoulders of those that came before, but it stands proudly erect once there, confident in itself and its place among its brethren.

“Rango” serves as further proof that the animated genre remains the  consistent crème in Hollywood’s annual crop. This status is largely a byproduct of its detachment from the material. By removing the constraints of reality, the door is opened for inventive and fearless storytelling. “Rango” embraces this ability, breezily crossing the fourth wall as it mixes a realist narrative structure with elements of both the profound and humorous.

The entirety of the film is well built, offering an array of unique characters and humorous situations. But the success of the film can be placed squarely on the diminutive shoulders of Rango, an odd and misshapen lonely lizard tossed into the dangerous desert by chance. Voiced capably by Johnny Depp, Rango becomes a creation of his own imagination and, to his own surprise, fits snugly into the role of hero and savior to a beset western town populated by anthropomorphic desert creatures.

In some other iteration, the role of Rango could easily be construed as just another of Depp’s rote performance as a lovable cook. While such eccentricities became staid many years ago, the animation offers a separation. There is no hint of staleness as Rango is his own man, he just happens to be voiced by Depp.

And as the name suggests, it is truly Rango’s film. We follow Rango from his uniquely cloistered start out into the wilds of the unknown. Like many westerns, Rango’s narrative arc thrusts him into the lives of strangers and he becomes invested in their livelihood, just as they become invested in his created mythology. It’s this path from loneliness to acceptance and emotional connection that not only anchors the film, but pushes it forward into the realm of the truly great.

No quest movie is successful unless the audience is invested in the protagonist. The audience cares about Rango because  everyone is visible in him. Whoever said life doesn’t come with instructions was correct. We each stumble and bluff our way through it, fooling ourselves into thinking that we have a concrete plan to achieve that which we desire, but in the end, it’s all happenstance.

The Great Western Spirit might be dealing the cards, but they still have to be played. So we create a narrative out of our heap of hopes, searching blindly for the human triumvirate of love, success and, above all else, acceptance.

• Rango is playing at the Carmike 14 and the Malco Cinema 12 in Fort Smith, the Malco Van Buren Cinema and the Sequoyah Theatre in Sallisaw. Link here for time and ticket info.

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