Rango

Perhaps it will be forgotten about pretty quickly, or become a pub quiz question for uberfilm geeks, but Rango is the first animated feature produced by Industrial Light & Magic. So already this looks promising even before you factor in director Gore Verbinski and a cast of heavy hitters on vocal duties. Do they all add up to a potent mixture though? In the film, Rango (Johnny Depp) is a chameleon who, following on from a car accident, finds himself in a lawless town full of various other creatures. I mentioned geeks at the start of this review and buffs will have a field day here as references to classic westerns come thick and fast, though the over riding storyline is based on Chinatown (without the incest, of course!). The look of the film is fantastic and some of the more frantic scenes are mesmerising in their attention to detail despite the mayhem going on. In addition there appears to have been real thought put into the various creatures on show and their own personalities. In respect of that, if you don’t know the voice cast before hand either you can have the usual fun trying to guess who’s voice is behind what character. The film has two major flaws though. Just what genre of film is it and who is it for? It’s marketed as a comedy, but it just isn’t very funny. It’s certainly dramatic in parts, but too many scenes turn into outright silliness. It’s too slow for kids and not attractive enough for adults. Having said all that it’s still an intriguing watch, but the fact that numerous lines and scenes were trimmed for the cinema release (in order to get a lower certificate) show that Verbinski and the studio were juxtaposed between bums on seats and the quality of their finished product. Shame.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

This is a decent enough film, but its unlikely to demand repeat viewing due to it being too broad for kids and not engaging enough for adults. Rating: 7/10.