I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
- Bene Gesserit quote from "Dune" by Frank Herbert
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Rango ...good but long.
It's been a bit of a slow day for me. I enjoy my Sundays off work and they've become a bit of a lazy movie/tv day for me. Mostly I was watching the movies and reno 911 episodes I've taped over the last few weeks(months) and deleting them off my PS3's hard drive. Today I decided to watch Rango while I ate my disgusting can-soup lunch. The soup was no good, but Rango was surprisingly entertaining despite being perhaps 20 minutes too long for me.
Rango follows the generic fish-out-of-water plot of many animated kids movies, similar to "Flushed Away". Rango is a neglected pet lizard that lives a lonely existance. His only friends are a plastic palm tree and a plastic fish toy in the tank that he lives in. He dreams of adventure and gets it when his tank is destroyed after falling out of the back of his owners ute. He ends up in a small town in the desert called "Dirt" and quickly takes up the persona of a gun-slinging sheriff. After a massive blunder the town's water supply is stolen and bigger conspiracy is at play here. His lies become bigger than him and he begins to believe that he really is a hero.
What I most enjoyed about the film was it's animation style. The film has a very distinct artistic look and is beautifully animated. While I was watching it I couldn't help but compare a few of the characters to Tim Burton's female characters of "Corpse Bride" with their big eyes, heads and thin necks.
There was a good mix of action and comedy, especially scenes with the hawk. The spectacular chase scene was exciting and definitely an inventive take on a western chase sequences. My only gripe is that the story seemed to slow down a little towards the end, especially when Rango and a mis-fit crew journey to return the town's stolen water and again when Rango is exposed and leaves the town. But this is only a small gripe. The script is veryt and has many nods to classic western films and even a Clint Eastwood-esque character thrown in there to complete the homage. Most of these references will probably go over kid's heads, but adults watching will certainly appreciate them. There is a light romance between Rango and a strong female lizard called Beans, that is underplayed, but what makes this plot point perfect is that there is no sickly sweet romance so that young kids will not be put off by it.
Overall it was really good and I see why the director decided to keep all these crazy off-beat characters and crazy plot points in the film even if it did drag the flow of the story. This is released on DVD this week (July 7) which is perfect timing since school holidays start this week. Should keep parents happy and kids occupied.
8/10
Rango follows the generic fish-out-of-water plot of many animated kids movies, similar to "Flushed Away". Rango is a neglected pet lizard that lives a lonely existance. His only friends are a plastic palm tree and a plastic fish toy in the tank that he lives in. He dreams of adventure and gets it when his tank is destroyed after falling out of the back of his owners ute. He ends up in a small town in the desert called "Dirt" and quickly takes up the persona of a gun-slinging sheriff. After a massive blunder the town's water supply is stolen and bigger conspiracy is at play here. His lies become bigger than him and he begins to believe that he really is a hero.
What I most enjoyed about the film was it's animation style. The film has a very distinct artistic look and is beautifully animated. While I was watching it I couldn't help but compare a few of the characters to Tim Burton's female characters of "Corpse Bride" with their big eyes, heads and thin necks.
There was a good mix of action and comedy, especially scenes with the hawk. The spectacular chase scene was exciting and definitely an inventive take on a western chase sequences. My only gripe is that the story seemed to slow down a little towards the end, especially when Rango and a mis-fit crew journey to return the town's stolen water and again when Rango is exposed and leaves the town. But this is only a small gripe. The script is veryt and has many nods to classic western films and even a Clint Eastwood-esque character thrown in there to complete the homage. Most of these references will probably go over kid's heads, but adults watching will certainly appreciate them. There is a light romance between Rango and a strong female lizard called Beans, that is underplayed, but what makes this plot point perfect is that there is no sickly sweet romance so that young kids will not be put off by it.
Overall it was really good and I see why the director decided to keep all these crazy off-beat characters and crazy plot points in the film even if it did drag the flow of the story. This is released on DVD this week (July 7) which is perfect timing since school holidays start this week. Should keep parents happy and kids occupied.
8/10