Rango

It will be assumed by many that "Rango" is just another simple kids' movie; one of those run-of-the-mill animated romps that are released every Friday stuffed with Lindsay Lohan jokes and nods at the new celebrity-of-the-month. Parents will quiet down their noisy spawn, peer up at the screen, ready to switch off for the next 90 minutes of farting and burping, and will find themselves shocked. For, gasp, this kiddie flick is actually rather clever.

"Rango" is the kind of family film that caters to both kids and adults alike, remembering that families also contain adults, who, I might add, are handing their hard-earned cash over for their children's entertainment. This is the kind of family film that a parent could go see without the need to bring youngsters with them. This is the kind of family film that needs to be encouraged. This is the kind of family film we really need a lot more of.

It stars Johnny Depp ("Public Enemies") as the voice of a crooked-necked, bug-eyed pet chameleon who thinks of himself as something of an actor. While performing a stage play of sorts by himself in the back of his owners' car, he is accidentally thrown out into a highway in the Mojave Desert. He's on his own in an empty landscape of sand and death, his loudly patterned Hawaiian shirt the only friend he has.

As he searches through the scorching desert (following his shadow as an armadillo has advised him), the green reptile stumbles into Dirt, a rootin' tootin' town straight out of a John Wayne movie. The town is filled to the brim with a plethora of desert critters, from adorable little possums to villainous rattlesnakes, and all of them pay tribute to well-known Western personalities.

As a stranger in the area, our quirky chameleon decides to blend in -- he tells tall tales of killing seven brothers with only one bullet, acting like a suave, no-nonsense tough-guy and assuming the name of Rango. After taking out the hawk the Wild West citizens have forever cowered in terror from, Rango immediately becomes the town's unlikely sheriff.

Meanwhile, all the townsfolk are suffering from a drought that has unfortunately plagued Dirt. In a town where water is practically currency, this is a disaster, and the bank's supply is quickly running out. With Rango in the sheriff's office, he's called upon to help them with the lack of H20 -- they've had enough of the wretched cactus juice.

There's something about "Rango" that takes it away from the feeling of a Hollywood product -- maybe because it's genuinely well-made and hasn't been released in friggin' 3D. This is a film with imagination, with a vision that is executed boldly, refusing to stick to commercial formula as lesser films would. It is different, it is peculiar, and it is inspired.

The film is a little too bizarre to be a kids' movie, and not quite "mature" enough to be considered fully adult. It's a children's movie in the same way that Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one -- it's a film that finds just the right balance between elements of enjoyment for both the young and the not-so-young.

On the adult's side, we have a joke about a prostate exam (gloves and all) and an appearance from The Man With No Name, the Clint Eastwood gunslinger who shoots and snarls in Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy. The tone overall is a mishmash of offbeat farce and trippy idiosyncrasy, the kind that would appeal to the older crowd. I also don't know many toddlers who'd recognise the cameo from Raoul and Dr. Gonzo of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" fame.

And on the kid's side, we have the animation, the wacky characters and the slapstick comedy, each of which should charm and enchant curious little tots. With a PG rating, the film obviously contains nothing too risqué, so no need to smother your child's eyes or ears in your screening. I know that the rug rats in my audience were giggling away and were certainly enjoying themselves -- when they weren't wandering off to use the loo, of course.

The film is directed by Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Ring"), working with famed cinematographer Roger Deakins ("True Grit," "No Country for Old Men") to make for a tremendously beautiful experience. A luxurious buffet for delighted eyes, "Rango" makes fantastic use of its sandy wilderness of a setting, directed with a keen sense of visual imagination. Mr. Verbinski and Mr. Deakins make for a splendid team.

The voice-work is all top-notch, from Depp's eponymous eccentric lizard to Isla Fisher ("Confessions of a Shopaholic")'s wilful desert iguana. Creature designs are approaching the grotesque, depicted as caricatures that aren't particularly huggable or dimple-covered -- there ain't no fluffy bunnies in these here parts.

"Rango" is an exquisite animated family comedy that's irregular and kooky, self-referential and jubilantly bright in its writing (I expect nothing less from the Oscar-nominated writer of "Gladiator" and "The Aviator"). Amusing for both children and parents, it's a triumph for Nickelodeon Movies and Industrial Light & Magic (this being the company's first jab at rendering an entire film). Even if you don't have young offspring, "Rango" is well worth a watch, maybe even multiple watches. And you don't have to pay extra for pointless 3D! Woo!

9/10