Printing the Legend of Rango

Rating: 7/10 (25 April 2013)

In the film, we are first introduced to a lone gecko creating a movie scene with the inanimate objects in his cage. He is creating a storyline where after being faced with exciting events, he is the hero. As the props give out, Rango is crestfallen as he realizes the mundane and anticlimactic world in which he lives. Then, all of a sudden, the car has to swerve, and Rango's tank flies from the car. Miraculously, Rango finds himself alive on the side of the highway in the desert looking at his shattered home and watching his owner drive away. Alone and faced with the threat of dehydration, starvation, and other dangers, Rango befriends an armadillo. Eventually, Rango finds a town that is faced with a diminishing water supply, a terrorizing hawk, a corrupt mayor, and other unsavory characters. After being appointed sheriff, Rango is given the opportunity to live out the exciting life he had always dreamed for himself. Or so it appears While Rango may appear to just be another children's film about an eccentric pet who has lost his way, it really does encompass all of the themes found in a typical western film. Most notably, Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp)depicts the concept of "printing the legend." As in the classic "TheMan Who Shot Liberty Valance," sometimes the story that transpires is actually much different from the reality of the events. For instance,in one scene of the film, it appears that Rango kills a hawk who was bullying and terrorizing the town. Much like with Ranse Stoddard in"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," Rango was credited with taking care of the town's enemy. Throughout the remainder of Rango's time as sheriff , there are other achievements that he is credited for. Despite the actual circumstances surround the events, the legend was printed. One of the many reasons printing the legend has become a prevalent and well accepted practice in our society is because it gives hope to the society at large that they too can become a hero, just like Rango.