Rango

In a world where movies are played on overpriced 3-D screens, Rango isn’t one of them. Instead, this tale, co-created by director Gore Verbinski, is on economically considerate flatscreens nationwide. It’s not that it needs 3-D that much; this adventure’s lively to begin with.

Our hero is Lars, later better known as Rango (Johnny Depp), a chameleon stranded in the desert. Thanks to advice from an armadillo named Roadkill (Alfred Molina), Rango heads to the town called Dirt. Almost immediately, our hero spins himself a reputation of heroic gunslinging that gets him appointed sheriff.

Dirt, as Rango finds out, has been having a water crisis. The town mayor, Tortoise John (Ned Beatty), has steady control over the H20. If Rango is to save the day, he has to live up to his reputation and save the aqua.

In the place of 3-D, the film has animation done by Industrial light and Magic. They’ve amazingly rendered the images with the same style they’ve given FX shots to films such as Transformers. As a result, there were some moments where the CGI didn’t look CGI at all.

The film also benefits from its stars, especially Depp in the title role. As for his supporting stars, some of the best ones include Isla Fisher as Rango’s love interest Beans, and Rick Garcia as the Greek Chorus (an Owl Mariachi Band). These are all a colorful assortment of critters who owe much to the writing as they do to the computer.

It’s a western spoof that’s not only fun and exciting, but economical as well. Thus, Rango should more than satisfy both kids and adults for its runtime.