Rango

The premise to Rango is one you you've likely heard before. A fish out of water ends up in a town where he's not wanted, and through sheer luck and a good heart, bumbles and stumbles his way into being a hero. It's a plot that's been used to good, bad, and downright ugly results, and the reason Rango succeeds where other movies have failed is because it takes that familiar idea and completely makes it its own.

This is mostly for two reasons. First, Rango isn't afraid to be strange or even downright absurd and surreal at times, meaning that nearly every scene will be full of strange surprises. Second, the movie makes you think you know where a joke or set-up is going, only to take it two steps further, and more impressively, still know when to stop before stretching the comedy out too thin. What also helps is that the characters aren't conventional archetypes, and everyone has something a little unique or off about them. The result is a movie that's brimming with personality without ever alienating viewers with its quirky excess. The only downside is that sometimes the jokes are so obscure or unusual that I wasn't even sure what kind of humor they were going for.

The voice acting cast is full of talent, including Johnny Depp, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, and Timothy Olyphant doing a great Clint Eastwood impression. And for such a quirky role, Depp shows surprising restraint instead of overplaying his character's weirdness to the point of unlikability. Take a note on that, Tim Burton.

The animation is first-rate. While I wouldn't compare it to Avatar or How to Train Your Dragon in terms of visual spectacle or the Toy Story movies in terms of pure liveliness, it still manages to create a world that looks and feels consistently interesting. The characters are especially well-designed, and their unique looks contribute a lot to the movie's cleverly quirky tone.

Also, a last bit of advice. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a children's movie. While kids will be sure to enjoy the action and slapstick, there are plenty of subtle jokes that will go over their heads, as well as a surprising amount of violence and mild profanity.

Simply put, Rango doesn't do anything revolutionary, but what it does it does well and it's guaranteed to be a fun time for nearly anyone. I don't think I've enjoyed an unconventional western this much since the second American Tail, but that could just be childhood nostalgia speaking.

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