A damn fine animated movie that isn't shot in pointless 3D, contains memorable characters, superb voice-work, and painted in vivid animation. It has the all the beauty of "The Legend of the Guardians" minus the blatant stupidity.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Who is the movie buff: the filmmaker or the protagonist? Is "Rango" the culmination of all the films that the hammy chameleon may have glimpsed perchance from behind his terrarium glass over the course of time in a home with a nearby television. In other words, is Rango's misadventures in the hallucinatory town of Dirt a moving picture, a post-modernist one to boot, that unreels psychically through his tiny reptilian head? It sure looks that way. From time to time, the domesticated(and cultured) animal constructs an invisible box in the air with his finger, which would seem to indicate a screen, as if he was setting up the next shot. It's a little bit of self-awareness on the film's part suggesting that it's the chameleon calling the shots, like a John Ford with scaly green skin, filling the mis-en-scene with costumed critters in a tribute to the old west that's more cracked than Alejandro Jodorowski's cult-classic "El Topo". "Rango" could be entitled "El Dopo". It's almost a stoner movie. If Rango is indeed the true author of the film-within-the-film, the next question we should be asking is if he's even alive? After all, terrariums don't come equipped with either seatbelts or airbags. When the chameleon is jettisoned from the back of his owner's crashing vehicle, does the impact of the road leave him unconscious, paving the way for his dreaming self to conjure up a glass shard, the remnant of a blown-out back-window which allows him to skid safely along the highway? If the armadillo(Alfred Molina) with the missing midsection offers any indication, Rango probably never did survive that vehicular accident, because only roadkill can hear other roadkill speak. Arguably, death is the best thing that ever happened to the chameleon with directorial aspirations. (This decidedly avant-garde offering actually has a lot in common with Brad Bird's "Ratatouille".) In life, Rango suffers from writer's block, somebody who is long on theory but short on story; somebody who can't even decide on a genre, mulling over as he does on a multitude of genre-specific roles, among them, a sea captain, a rogue anthropologist, and a Casanova type. Limited by the inanimate objects that make up his sorry compliment of ensemble players, the chameleon also seems to be disenchanted by his apparent medium, the play, as suggested by the demarcations of the imprisoning glass which confines the lonely varmint to a single setting, thereby converting his terrarium into a stage. Throughout his opening soliloquy, steeped in metafiction and existentialism, Rango interacts with "actors" who can't act back; he yearns for the collaborative experience that mere props simply can't offer, and a change of scenery from the fixed mountain range and sky which comprises the backdrop of his controlled environment; his laboratory for artistic development. Stuck in a sort of Brechtian hell, Rango indicates his desire to escape from the terrarium(which is, for all intents and purposes, a metaphor for experimental theater), and then to enter the filmic world, a diegesis, when he draws that first rectangular screen, a sort of portal which leads to the place where dreams come true. No more aimless soul-searching: this chameleon wants to break free and live. Construed as a death metaphor, the allusion to the "other side" that the sage-like armadillo imparts to his new scaly friend, can also be taken as a showbiz one, meaning the transition from stage to screen. Later in the film, Rango successfully crosses the highway, and on this other side, he meets the High Plains Drifter himself, which to the chameleon, is the perfect being, a god who looks over the weird array of cowfolks that populate his movie. In reality, Rango may be near-death on the highway, or on the side of the highway, so what we're actually seeing is an imagined life filtered through the cinema as it flashes before his(and our) eyes, which encompasses a span of diverse films(especially Roman Polanski's "Chinatown") that met the chameleon's approval. When one of the minor characters uses the term "man" in a speech(rather than "critter" or varmint"), the fourth wall is broken, because in this self-contained world, there are no humans to speak of. It's Rango who is providing the lines; it's Rango who is doing all the talking. His reptilian consciousness forgets to convert "man" into animal terms. Being domesticated, maybe the chameleon forgets that he's an animal, as well. Look at his god. It's Clint Eastwood, not some animal version of the venerable actor/director. Rango flatters himself. He may think that he was made in god's own image.… Expand

Rango is certainly different than most of the other computer animated films out there and it is visually rich as wel. But the story never fully engaged me. I was always aware that I was watching a movie instead of being swept up in the story. Combine that with an undeniable sense of smugness resulting from the film's "not as funny as it thinks it is" brand of humor and the end result is an astonishingly dull creation.… Expand

Rango was a fun western animation film with this cool lizard that reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Johnny Depp's character did a good voicing and keeps his character for being so obnoxious and ackward for making fun for his performance.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Incredible animation. A little slow occasionally and a little slack on the plot. In a sense there was not a single original scene but I think that was the point. Check out the snowman in the snow globe, fear and loathing in Las Vegas, every Western ever made but especially high noon and all the Clint Eastwood pics. The clock looks like it was out of dark city. How about the Lord of the rings and the mines of Morea. Star Wars, Mad Max and above all Chinatown. I am sure somebody who really knows movies could find a few more. (I say the snake looks like Clint Eastwood not to mention Clint Eastwood looking like Clint Eastwood.)… Expand

I absolutely was lost from beginning to end. The visuals were okay, but I fell asleep 2/3 into it. The biggest gap between the critics and my own personal review in a long time. Not recommended.

Rango isn't a kids film, and it knows it. Riddled with adult humor, violence, and some pretty ugly characters, it's the perfect playground for a western lover such as myself. It pays little bits of homage to various westerns and is absolutely gorgeous to watch. Great animation, great humor, great story, and most important of all: A great western.

I fell asleep for a few minutes in the middle. What's that say about it. I thought it was pretentious and self important. Some adult humor sprinkled in to give us a reason to hang out while the kids enjoy it.

After watching this movie I felt compelled to write a review. Im a 3D artist, so I could appreciate the incredible work gone into the animation, but if its doing its job right, you're supposed to forget about that and just be engrossed by the story. Also, there is only so much that you can play with scale before you start to lose all grip on any form of stability with the characters. With such a realistic visual quality, I just don't think you can sit a fox next to a chameleon in the same shot and have them the same height when there are much more accurately sized humans, birds and snakes in the film. All in all, I think its a visually stunning piece of work, let down by a flawed story, poor script and unappealing characters.… Expand

Why did I love this movie? Well, you got a director who directed one of the best trilogies ever, you got Johnny Depp, and you got George Lucas's ILM, the guys behind some of the best special effects seen in movies, animating the movie. Not to mention a great homage to the Western genre. 10/10!

Exceptional as an animated picture, Rango is actually a superb FILM! The story of a lizard trying to establish his own identity is followed through a journey of self-discovery that is seldom seen in animated form. The story is adorable, exciting and surprisingly deep. The climax of the film finds Rango at his lowest point, crossing over to the other side and coming to realize who he is...just in time to save the day in the destitute town of Dirt. Funny for kids and meaningful for adults, Rango is the surprise of the year!… Expand

This is the best animated film I have seen in a long time. Beautiful movie, absolutely fantastic to look at. Btw, all you over-sensitive idiots, this is what I would have wanted as a kid, a film that treats you like an adult.

The film is worth paying full price just to see the mind-blowing animation. It's like watching the most detailed painting ever... in MOTION! Seriously, you will be entertained watching each character move. Doesn't hurt that the film is a hilarious, clever and surprisingly traditional western full of exciting set -pieces, nods to classic cinema and one of the most bad-ass cameos ever. Surreal brilliance.… Expand

Neither an artful Hayao Miyazaki nor a glossy Pixar production, however Rango stands on its own, with a bonkers of a story, great animation, intelligent directing and lots of fun!

This is one of those movies that everyone that I know likes, but not me. When I was watching this, I kept thinking that "this supposed to be interesting, right?". There was great animation, but most of the stuff that was going on was not compelling. I was begging for this to end when it got to the 20 minute mark

ILM's first foray into animation features some dazzling visual effects, but they got the rest pretty wrong. A city chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) ends up in the desert, where he becomes the de facto sheriff of a dusty town in habited by an assortment of scuzzy fauna. There's an unexplained water shortage and the movie in a quest for the truth. This isn't a kids movie: there's too much taking and not enough cute characters or zany fun. This isn't an adults' film: it's not smart enough. There is some action and humor, but not enough to compensate for the lack of creative storytelling.… Expand

Great animation. Fun (though not entirely original) story. Sweet characters. This is not a movie for a wide audience and DEFIANTLY not for younger kids. Anyone who is a fan of classic spaghetti westerns, The Andy Griffith Show, and Johnny Depp will have a good time.

Being 16 and walking into a cinema to see an animation mainly aimed at children can be quite a dawnting task, as i wasn't to sure as to whether or not this movie was going to be for me. I went with my younger brother who it seemed to be primarily aimed at and surprisingly it was not a hit and miss like i orignally thought. Rango brings a new type of animation to the big screen as it is not just hopeless comedy like alot of the other family movies at the cinema today, it has a rich plot. The voice acting suits the roles completely and the Western style shooter works perfectly when the serious cowboys are replaced with the likes of lizards, rats and snakes. Dont get me wrong the movie is not all just haha it has a very well constructed and creative story to it in which the town is heavily dependent on their water supply which begins to run dry. It is at this point that the loveable lizard Rango(played perfectly by Johnny Depp I might add!) steps into to do his part as the sheriff of the town along with a host of different creatures all portrayed as old westen characters like general store owners, prospectors, bandits and farm owners.The humour varies and will make not only the children laugh, but adults alike not forgetting teenagers my age! All in all Rango is a good day out for the whole family and is definitely not a waste of time. Rango is so high standard compared to most animated movies out now, that it doesn't need 3D to boost its viewing figures. Instead it can rely souly on its shear quality and will not leave you 2 or 3 pound out of pocket from a disapointing trip to a 3 dimentional screening!… Expand

I think Rango is very well done.

The animation was stunning.
All of the voices were fantastic especially Johnny Depp he was perfect for the role.
Also this movie was hilarious! I wasn't expecting it to be funny but that was brilliant that they added lots of comedy in there.

All and all i thought it was brilliant and better than i was expecting!

Let me get the good stuff out of the way first. This was a beautiful movie, visually. Industrial Light & Magic has given Pixar Animation a run for it's money. In some ways, the visual beauty of this film surpasses anything that Pixar has ever produce. The humor is indeed quite dry, which is right up my alley. And there were some times where I genuinely laughed out loud and enjoyed myself. These are the good things; on to the bad.
This is not a kid's film. It doesn't matter that it's being promoted as one. It doesn't matter that the trailers before the movie were all kid's films. This isn't one of them.
As several others have commented, the language is borderline atrocious, especially compared to other animated films. There are some very heavy themes in this film. There are scenes of intense violence, compared to other animated films. There are scenes of the protagonist's "mystical revelations" that will go right over your child's head. In fact, trying to wrap your mind around this film will only result in a headache, as it is designed to make the viewer search for some kind of meaning, when there is none. There are MANY occult references in the film. References that only those adept to spotting them will notice. Meanwhile, the rest of the audience (esp. the kids) will soak it up subconsciously without ever noticing. There are vague Luciferic references, alongside references to the lost city of Atlantis, the Zodiac, etc, that make me feel like this film is meant to convey a certain message to a very specific group of people.
What else can I say? I fell asleep about an hour in, woke up with about 30 minutes left. Perhaps the best parts of this film were between the 17 minutes that I slept through, but I kindly doubt it.
Jonny Depp fanatics will love the film. Young adults on drugs will also love it. Your kids? Probably not.… Expand

This movie is NOT a kids movie. Sure there's an anthropomorphic lizard, and there's a wild west setting, but many of the jokes and even the art direction are not directed at kids. I did enjoy the film though. It was fun, and seemed very well made. Don't watch this movie and expect a pixar production though.

I'm giving it a 7 based on the fantastic visuals, otherwise it would be closer to a 5. I saw this in a theater that was almost full and kids were bored and making noise the entire time so I don't recommend it for kids. The biggest problem for me was the lack of humor. The film will keep your attention because of the great animation, but this could have been great if the movie was funnier. The script writers also pay homage to many other movies, (Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, High Noon and many more) by copying the most famous scenes from those movies. The actors doing the voices do a great job. Overall, a good animated film aimed at adults, but not enough humor to make it a classic.… Expand

Rango is a dark, dry, frightening, ugly film. I honestly can't understand how it could be considered a children's film; I was genuinely surprised. There's smoking, swearing, death, gun violence, cults, sexual innuendo, and very scary images. The characters are not very lovable, with the exception of a cute possum girl. Most of the humor is cheap slapstick or tired pop culture references. On the plus side, Rango does have an interesting style and the animation is technically very stunning to look at; there's more texture and fluidity than a lot of animated films. But I would not put this on the level of Pixar or even Dreamworks. It breaks my heart because I like Johnny Depp and am a fan of CGI films, and I really wanted to like this movie. But it just left me feeling empty inside. Some people may enjoy the dark tone of the film but I would strongly recommend parents not to take their children.… Expand

I am reviewing this as a parent not as an adult, my wife went into this movie thinking it was a kids film with our 5, 6 and 7 year old, it is PG and animated, yet it says the "hell" constantly and even said "son of a **** ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME YOU ELITIST HOLLYWOOD HACKS!? I know you idiots like imposing your lack of standards on every person that goes to the movies, but advertise that it might not be best for my preschooler!!!!! All of this was only in the first 40 minutes but we were able to get our money back. So there is most likely more. Not only the language but my kids had not clue what was going on and my 6 year old told my wife that he was scared and wanted to leave, same kid that watched the Clone Wars Movie two years ago. This will make us think twice about our kids watching Nickelodeon or going to any movies by them, trust has been broken.… Expand

"Rango'' is the most bad-ass, well done animated film I had ever saw. The graphics are unbeatable, it definitely deserves a nomination for best animated film. If you love western movies, you will love ''Rango", because it has those classic moments from old western movies (such as bad guys, gun fights, the girl, etc). It wasn't just an ordinary animated movie. The actors really had to ''play'' the scene in a studio (with all the technological materiel) in order to really incarnate there voices. I must say, it really showed that incarnation in the voices of the actors. Everybody did a good job, especially Johnny Depp (as Rango). It's a fun movie for all ages !… Expand

I liked it quite a bit, its not really a movie for kids in my opinion. There were some boring parts, started kinda slow, but overall i was happy with my purchase of a child's ticket to see the movie

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A studio-produced animated film that didn… Expand

I fell like this movie misses any kind of audience, it's not one for kids for it's language, killing, and other controversial things, but also not one for older audiences because of it's juvenile sense of humor, it's starts off slow but picks up later but I was never really invested in it, I never cared about the characters or they're fates, and I feel the movie adds some stuff I'd just rather not see touched on in the movies I watch, it's not fun, funny, or really enjoyable, and I don't think it really knows what it wants to be, so this is one you can pass on.… Expand