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The Green, the Bad and the Ugly

Gore Verbinski reteams with his "Pirates of the Caribbean" star, Johnny Depp, for "Rango", an animated Western featuring the titular lizard as its unlikely hero. In typical fashion, Mr. Verbinski's penchant for overkill gets the better of the film and, as a result, it may be too dark for children and not dark enough for adults. But those with a love of Sergio Leone films, and Mr. Depp's unique brand of ad-libbing, may be entertained.

When the film opens, our hapless green hero is happily amusing himself by "staging" the rescue of a fair maiden in the safety of his cozy terrarium. That safety is quickly - and literally - shattered when the terrarium falls from the back of the family's speeding station wagon. Soon, our lizard friend finds himself abandoned on a highway in the Mojave desert. Clad in a Hawaiian shirt, and masterfully-animated by ILM, Rango (as he will soon call himself) is both out-of-place and perfectly at home in his new scorching wasteland. He is like a cuddly version of one of the nightmare visions from Terry Gilliam's adaptation of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". The fact that Mr. Depp indelibly embodied Hunter S. Thompson in that film, and voices Rango in this one, isn't lost on Mr. Verbinski, who throws in an absurd, but strangely perfect, cameo for good measure.

Rango happens upon a half-dead, and oddly quixotic, armadillo who sets the film's philosophical tone. The armadillo aims to cross the highway "to get to the other side" because it is his quest. And soon the talk of quests and destiny begins. It all becomes a bit much as Rango's gift of gab earns him the role of Sheriff in the water-starved town of Dirt. The "Dirtonians" are at the mercy of a sinister Mayor who holds the key to the water supply. It's probably worth mentioning that the Mayor is a turtle and the townspeople are an menagerie of animal incarnations.

Though the film is clearly aimed at children - it's co-presented by Nickelodeon films - this is no Pixar movie. Mr. Verbinski's tastes are far too eclectic and his techniques too chaotic. There are a few too many grotesqueries in the set dressing and a few too many characters in the script (by John Logan). And in the end, the film becomes dark when it should be uplifting. Kids are likely to be either bored or scared and adults may wish the film had gone further.

But Mr. Verbinski and his team of designers really went for something here. The film is beautifully realized; it's rich with references and full-on homages to its Spaghetti Western ancestry (including one corker of a "cameo" late in the film). Fans of the genre are likely to appreciate it more than mainstream audiences do, so, if there's any justice, "Rango" may indeed find an audience that will appreciate it. That, if all goes well, will be its destiny.