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Damning with Faint Praise: RANGO

Rango is a metaphorical chameleon.

He likes to play roles, with his toys in his terrarium playing the rest of the case in his made-up dramas.

Rango is an actual chameleon as well.

He lives in a terrarium, until he gets bounced out of the back of the family car while traversing a desert of the American Southwest.

At the advice of a roadkill armadillo, Rango goes on a quest for the Spirit of the West and winds up in a town inhabited by other forms of desert wildlife. The town needs a new sheriff, and Rango gets himself elected.

The town also needs water, and gradually Rango stops trying to steal water for himself and starts trying to figure out where the water went.

 

 

Verdict

Fast-paced, clever, and visually stunning, and yet…

I can hear you sharpening your knives and searching for good throwing rocks. I mean, how dare I question an ILM movie that made over a quarter of a million dollars and featured voice work from actors like Johnny Depp and Bill Nighy? It won an Academy Award (Best Animated Feature Film 2012)!

Let me be clear up-front: Rango is a terrific piece of work.

What didn’t work for me was something new: I found the mix of photorealistic artwork (e.g., the bird that attacks Rango at the beginning) and cartoonish art (Rango’s neck bugged me for the whole movie) jarring.

And yes, I totally get that Rango’s design imitates Hunter Thompson in the poster for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. So? It’s a joke that jarred at least this viewer, and that only plays to adults. It was unnecessary.

I thought the characters were well-drawn, literally and figuratively. Rango needs to discover who he is. He starts out by trying on different roles, looking for one that suits him. Then circumstances force him to face real, life-and-death, challenges and realize his own strength.

The context is vivid, and I felt that it successfully mixed modern with Old West. There were clear, recognizable, elements of both. Older viewers have probably seen a Western or two, and younger viewers know what soda machines and golf carts are. The two complement each other, rather than creating dissonance.

If plot is what the character does to overcome conflict (and it is), then the plot of Rango is very clear. First, Rango has to survive the desert. Then, he has to bring peace to the town of Dirt. Finally, he has to find water or everyone – including him – will die.

Where Rango really veers into grown-up movie territory is in the conflict. The role of the mayor and his cronies in controlling water is like something out of Chinatown. I think they could have simplified that part of the movie a little bit.

I mean, I just can’t escape the idea that this is a kid’s movie with enough stuff that adults can enjoy that it’s not a painful endurance challenge to sit through. No kid should have to understand real estate to follow a movie.

But then again, I’ve never won an Academy Award.

The three-act structure is effective. Rango’s first act is one of personal survival. Once he gets past the bird, his individual survival is at least temporarily assured.

When he confronts tough guys in the saloon, Rango is defending himself as well as the townsfolk. The tough guys make life hard for the inhabitants of dirt, but they’re not rampaging killers. In that sense, the consequences expand rather than escalate. That’s a fine way to handle things.

In the last act, Rango stops trying to slake his own need for water because he accepts responsibility for the continued existence of Dirt. He internalizes the value of the people and the town, and realizes that their needs are as important as his.

Conclusion
Aside from my personal issues with overly-complex plot and the use of various art styles, Rango is terrific. Don’t let my Crazy Uncle Rich criticisms stop you from seeing it. 

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