If you like movies, you'll love Rango

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2011)

Don't be fooled by the PG rating, or the fact that this is an animated movie. This is a film for adults. Picasso supposedly said "good artists borrow, great artists steal", (he may have stolen the line from someone else) and this movie makes unashamedly wholesale thefts from a number of movies and books. Start with the writings of Carlos Castaneda, flavor with a heavy dose of Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, blend in a rather strong resemblance to the plot from Chinatown, season to taste with Star Wars, Blazing Saddles, Bugs Life, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Indiana Jones and High Noon. The next time I see it I'll try to make a list of all of the other references. If the movie was boring you would at least be entertained by trying to guess where it all came from.
Despite the movie's rather complicated family tree, it all hangs together very well. If I were pitching to a studio, I'd say it was "Carlos Castaneda versus Noah Cross".
And oh, by the way, the voice acting and animation are as good as I've seen. I just finished watching a rental copy on DVD and I can't wait to buy it on Blu Ray.
Literate and funny, this is a movie that aims much higher than the typical summer animated fare. HIGHLY recommended.