Review: 'Rango'

A would be actor with an identity crisis, stranded in a strange place, takes on a pseudonym inspired by a tequila bottle "Rango" and invents an elaborate fictional backstory so people will think of him as a great man. But when the truth is found out, he has to actually become the hero he pretended to be. We've seen some variation on this theme in movies before, but never from a lizard wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

The Artist Soon to Be Renamed Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) begins the movie in a glass terrarium, putting on plays for nobody in particular, with a supporting cast that consists of a Barbie torso, a clockwork fish and a dead insect. But life as he knows it is literally shattered when the place he calls home flies out the back of the car it's in, somewhere out in the desert.

Eventually stumbling upon the town of Dirt, populated entirely by desert creatures with varying degrees of grossness, he tells a tall tough-guy tale to impress the locals. But when he actually manages to outwit a hawk, mostly through dumb luck, they embrace him and make him the sheriff. Problem is there are more devious forces at play, from the local gang of water thieves to the sinister and murderous Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy).

Rango is quite the thrill ride with a plethora of quality voices to go with an excellent technical display. We watch in awe as Rango attempts to save the town from drought while it's Mayor (Tortoise Ned Beatty) appears to be up to no good. The would be hero has built his own reputation claiming to disperse his multiple foes with single bullets. When he actually accomplishes this deed (of course by accident) it only adds to the farce. All this is even aided by clever song and narration from a quartet of Mariachi Owls.

3 out of 4 buckets