Watch out Pixar!

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2012)

I approached this movie with caution. I anticipated entertainment from reading some reviews, but was weary as always of its blockbuster character. Let's be honest: Nickelodeon has been consistently pouring out terrible movies; Gore Verbinski has yet to prove himself outside the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise; John Logan, despite all his brilliance in other screenplays, hasn't shown to be at the same level with animation, as his work in Sinbad attests to. So, critical acclaim aside, i wasn't convinced...
But scratch all that! This is a new age for Nickelodeon, a defining moment for Verbinski and a testament to Logan's literary genius.
Rango has everything: masterful CGI, impeccable storytelling, radiating creativity, surgical attention to detail, humility, depth, vision; and almost none of the usual handicaps, clichés and mistakes of the genre. And let's not forget humor, a cascading, gushing, showering deluge of humor: meta humor, black humor, adult humor, satire, parody, and of course, potty humor. But its crowning moment is its referential humor, its homages - the Spirit of the West, the Fear & Loathing... All beautifully interwoven into the story in a way that separates it from what so many mash-up comedies try to do (and fail horribly).
The western genre is made fun of repeatedly, but never is it ridiculed or tarnished. It's a story made with love and admiration for its themes. A wondrous thing in this cynical world and a rarity amid comedy. Humanity is reflected perfectly in this fable. And viscerally. With all its flaws and weaknesses, and all its charms and achievements. And despite the many anecdotes, despite the myriad caricatures, it's never shallow, never false. It remains true to its principles and offers as many laughs as lessons. And by that, i am truly amazed.