I know John Carter --Disney's other big live-action bomb-- has its share of ardent & vocal fanboys. Well, I think The Lone Ranger deserves that, too. Perhaps, even more-so than Carter. It's a big budget niche movie that deserves to find its audience; one that will embrace it and hopefully sing its praises in the near future as I'm about to do right now.
The Lone Ranger is great and I will vehemently disagree with anyone who says otherwise.
I can't think of another film that mythologizes the Old West in such a unique way. It feels like a big screen tall tale, complete with quirky world-building aspects that are stunningly transformative and exciting for this type of film. What other Westerns can you name that feature vast railway conspiracies? Or the intriguingly dark curse of "Wendigo" that throws nature so out of balance, it forces animals to cannibalize themselves? This film makes mysticism an acceptable reason for its hero's ability to survive and will to save the day. All of these aspects feel so fresh when put against the backdrop of a genre we're all so certain we're all-too-familiar with.
I'll get to Depp in a moment, but I have to say I think Armie Hammer is perfectly cast as The Lone Ranger. With that jawline, he looks like he could have stepped right out of the old serials from the 1920s and 30s. He gets every nuance of the character right, from the unexpected comedic notes to the more obvious action lead stuff. He leaps off the screen in the same way Harrison Ford did in the Indiana Jones movies. This guy simply is this character.
Depp is amusing as Tonto, but he is also the one thing that keeps this from being a "10" in my book. The framing device of Old Man Tonto narrating the story already feels like an unnecessary element; now add the unsettling elderly make-up and his bizarre acting choices and you've got a weak spot in an otherwise tour de force film.
Now, the action set-pieces -- which this movie delivers on tenfold. Nowadays, I'm noticing a trend in big budget movies (mostly comic book movies) where the end battles or story climaxes are short-changed by a short running time. Not The Lone Ranger. Once that final train sequence kicks into gear, and that Ranger theme starts blasting, it's a satisfyingly dense and no-holds-barred experience. No cheap tricks to get out early and save budget. No, no. no. The end sequence is packed with several mini-arcs --a staging and editing device best employed by Spielberg's Indy movies-- that strap you in for what seems like a complete and dense thrill ride that lasts and lasts in the best way possible.
I have to hand it to Gore Verbinski. The guy is a visionary director who doesn't get enough cred in nerd circles. I'm not the biggest PoTC fan, but I can recognize his singular talents in every frame of this movie. He's not a generic big budget guy by any stretch. He's got a quirkiness about his work that I find refreshing.
And it's all present in The Lone Ranger. So, saddle up for a one-of-a-kind adventure that's just waiting to be discovered!
The Lone Ranger is great and I will vehemently disagree with anyone who says otherwise.
I can't think of another film that mythologizes the Old West in such a unique way. It feels like a big screen tall tale, complete with quirky world-building aspects that are stunningly transformative and exciting for this type of film. What other Westerns can you name that feature vast railway conspiracies? Or the intriguingly dark curse of "Wendigo" that throws nature so out of balance, it forces animals to cannibalize themselves? This film makes mysticism an acceptable reason for its hero's ability to survive and will to save the day. All of these aspects feel so fresh when put against the backdrop of a genre we're all so certain we're all-too-familiar with.
I'll get to Depp in a moment, but I have to say I think Armie Hammer is perfectly cast as The Lone Ranger. With that jawline, he looks like he could have stepped right out of the old serials from the 1920s and 30s. He gets every nuance of the character right, from the unexpected comedic notes to the more obvious action lead stuff. He leaps off the screen in the same way Harrison Ford did in the Indiana Jones movies. This guy simply is this character.
Depp is amusing as Tonto, but he is also the one thing that keeps this from being a "10" in my book. The framing device of Old Man Tonto narrating the story already feels like an unnecessary element; now add the unsettling elderly make-up and his bizarre acting choices and you've got a weak spot in an otherwise tour de force film.
Now, the action set-pieces -- which this movie delivers on tenfold. Nowadays, I'm noticing a trend in big budget movies (mostly comic book movies) where the end battles or story climaxes are short-changed by a short running time. Not The Lone Ranger. Once that final train sequence kicks into gear, and that Ranger theme starts blasting, it's a satisfyingly dense and no-holds-barred experience. No cheap tricks to get out early and save budget. No, no. no. The end sequence is packed with several mini-arcs --a staging and editing device best employed by Spielberg's Indy movies-- that strap you in for what seems like a complete and dense thrill ride that lasts and lasts in the best way possible.
I have to hand it to Gore Verbinski. The guy is a visionary director who doesn't get enough cred in nerd circles. I'm not the biggest PoTC fan, but I can recognize his singular talents in every frame of this movie. He's not a generic big budget guy by any stretch. He's got a quirkiness about his work that I find refreshing.
And it's all present in The Lone Ranger. So, saddle up for a one-of-a-kind adventure that's just waiting to be discovered!
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