Saturday 7 May 2011

Rango

It is inexplicable how movie houses fail to see the magic that a movie creates and move it off the screen within the blink of an eyelid. Just when I thought that I would take the opportunity to add another movie to my “must make everyone see” list, Rango moved out of screens this week. It’s a sad but true story of how quality work will never get enough critical mass in this country. In the same breath, an average animation movie such as Rio – and I tip my hat to 20th Century Fox’s marketing team on timing – is ringing in the cash across the country for over a month now. I say fantastic timing because it coincided with the kids vacations and every parent that I see at the box office counters is going nuts. Thank God for small mercies that there is no merchandise that has yet hit the stores. Is TCF missing a point here? I would guess so. But this write up is more to do with probably the best Animation movie released since Toy Story. An I would not be incorrect if I were to say that Rango moved out sooner than it should have because people just did not get it – because it is not a kids animation movie. It is one, for the more cerebrally evolved.

Lars (Johnny Depp) is a chameleon who has been relegated to the position of a pet. Yep – a pet chameleon who stays in a glass box with a few inanimate objects. A decapitated miniature doll, a plastic toy fish, lots of gravel, a bowl of water amongst other not so exciting things. And I can only assume that the family is shifting or doesn’t want to leave home without their darling chameleon – which explains why Lars is in the back of the car under the hatch. He is biding his time here by honing his acting skills – he believes that he is God’s gift to acting in the chameleon world. However, in between a skillful rendition of a romantic hero, an unexpected bump on the road and a near accident finds him ejected from his comfort into the desert – a place that he has never been in. After saving himself from an eagle on his way to a town called Dirt, he finds himself with Beans (Isla Fisher), a lizard who helps him to the town. He gets there only to find out water is as good as gold. But Lars’s survival instincts get the better of him and using his passion for acting he weaves a story about how he single handedly killed seven notorious brothers and how he is close pals with Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy) the most dreaded animal other than the Chihuahuan Raven. He then begins his conquest, along with the Mayor John (Ned Beatty), a desert tortoise to find out where the water has disappeared.

I would have to agree with my good friend Vinay Zende on this one (not that we agree too much these days). Rango is not an animation movie. It’s a western. And I strongly recommend that you watch it like you would if you were watching a classic Clint Eastwood – who is by the way the inspiration for the character of The Spirit of the West (Timothy Olyphant). The quality of animation is lifelike – almost alive – as good as Clint from TGTBATU – and if u don’t know what that ridiculous abbreviation means I suggest you have a relook at your status as a lover of Western Movies. The voice overs especially the ones by Bill Nighy for Rattlesnake Jake send a cold shiver down your spine. The narration by the four Burrowing Owls is amazingly amusing and yet so creative. I honestly cannot find fault with Rango in too many places, but there are a few consistency errors which can be noticed by probably the seasoned movie watcher only. The Gore Verbinksi and Johnny Depp combination has done it again I say!!!! Don’t miss Rango – its definitely a 7.5 on 10 if not an 8. My first pick for the nominations from 2011 for the Academy awards.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2047646233/

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