pros • funny movie • Johnny Depp as a lizard has so much rizz • great musical moments • rattlesnake Jake is a badass • nice commentary on environmentalism and stuff like that idk im uneducated • the animation is great and everyone is so ugly cons • Jake should be in it more • pacing’s a bit quick at times • sometimes the characters are a little dumb but it’s ok

8.4/10 Rango is dripping with style. The animation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The level of detail that comes with the motion capture is insane. The way the camera moves is amazing as well. The shot where RANGO is running inside the glass bottle and the camera moves in through the bottleneck exemplifies this. There are some absolutely beautiful shots in this film. The voice performances are nothing short of impeccable. Johnny Depp grabs your attention in the main role. Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake was a great choice as well. The jokes are witty, only occasionally relying on cheap body humor. There are some really great, quotable one-liners in this. Not only does the score fit the bill for a western incredibly well, but it actually creates some memorable themes. The use of the electric guitar is earned and the mariachi band feels right at home. Rango presents itself as a parody of the western genre, and it does that well. Rango initially has no name, but then adopts Rango, a clear reference to Django. The Spirit of the West is meant to be Clint Eastwood. The mariachi band of burrowing owls act as narrators, but don’t actually know what’s going to happen. This does mean Rango unintentionally traps itself in some clichés, though. The liar reveal feels earned, for once. It uses that one well. Other ones, not so much, though. Despite the fact that I enjoy a lot of Rango’s character work (his arc is quite interesting), I think he can feel a bit too inactive at times, just getting lucky during sequences rather than taking charge of a situation. This is technically in line with his character, as he’s just an actor, and he has no experience adventuring or taking down outlaws, but it makes his role in the plot feel a little less impactful.