Rango: An Underrated Classic

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2016)

The film Rango directed by Gore Verbinski is based around a theatrical chameleon who gets abandoned from his lavish family into a town called Dirt. In an effort to show out for the citizens he proves his worth by displaying his skills with firearms and ends up impressing the town enough to become their sheriff. Little do they know his qualifications are completely made up and his identity is all an act. Throughout the film, Rango is exposed to a myriad of dangers that force him to change his sheriff duties from an act into becoming a true hero. This film uses the superb voice acting of Johnny Depp and Abigail Breslin along with many other popular actors to illustrate the underlying humor of the situation of a group of talking animals running a town. Which also brings up how dynamic and uncommon the plot is, the film shows another side to an otherwise uneventful story by giving the audience a peek into Rango's personal struggles with keeping up his lie, the film is also accompanied by an example of animation that is well above par.
The Protagonist, Rango, is an inherently charming and funny character, he uses his expertise in theatre to coerce an entire town into believing he's a competent sheriff. This is made possible by the voice acting of Johnny Depp, an actor known for his humorous demeanor. Depp has been seen in films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where he is yet again the comic relief. Rango, when brought into town, is very quickly introduced to a young, naive mouse named Pricilla, voiced by Abigail Breslin. Breslin in most all of her films represents an innocent little girl, such as in Little Miss Sunshine or Zombieland. Making her a perfect fit for the tiny mouse with a "funny looking face"
Many films nowadays have very predictable plots with little variation, Rango however, while having the common characteristics of the overplayed "newcomer saving the day." This film elaborates on that and makes the viewer fall in love with this strange little lizard, and makes you hope for his well-being even though the audience knows the whole time that his heroism is all a story. Also being that he is a lizard brings a completely new dynamic into the film, the animation. The animation is very impressive, the characters aren't creepy or disturbing like I commonly see in many animated films lately. The animation also impressed me by incorporating real world objects in an otherwise animated world, such as Rango's best friend, Mr. Timms, who is animated convincingly enough that he almost seems real.
All in all, Rango is a very well rounded film. It incorporates good voice acting into a very fitting plot and is completed by superb animation. This film is one of nickelodeons best and makes me tear up every time I have to see Rango walk away from the town after they figure out his true identity. This film is very over looked in my opinion, and many people don't give it enough credit for how elaborate some of the animation is. Overall I can very confidently give this film 9 tumbleweeds out of 10.