Is Rango really for kids? I have my doubts. Yes it's an animation. Yes, it has a bunch of characters that mind you are very likeable but are in no way cuddle-able (I think I just made a word up!). But, aside from the simplicity of the story, I would find it hard to imagine someone smaller than say 14-15 years old truly enjoying Rango.
The beauty of Rango is in the characters and the direction. The story about a mistaken hero saving a town is almost as old as films are, but the comedic dialogue is what makes the movie a must watch. There are the obligatory slapstick comedy scenes which will appeal to the little ones, but all in all, the entire movie is more dialogue driven.
Just like any good animation all possible clichés are present when it comes to the motto of the story. It's all about believing in yourself, helping your friends, not judging based on appearances, not lying to your friends, and it even has an almost spiritual angle to it. On a positive side, although the story is predictable, its treatment is different. There were still a number of unpredictable elements to the story that kept it interesting.
The voice talents in the movie are so strong with Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Timothy Olyphant (as an almost Clint Eastwood look-alike "Spirit of the West") that if the movie was not so entertaining, it would have been a real shame. Thankfully, the movie does justice to the people who were part of it and visa versa.
So, if only the movie plot was a little less predictable, it would have received a 4 out of 5 star rating from me, but since it is extremely predictable I decided to take off 0.5 stars to give a well deserved 3.5/5 stars.
