The Lone Ranger
Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 5:07 am
We took the kids to see this today and I think we got our money's worth for the tickets, especially since we usually go to the matinee and thus tickets are only $5 each.
When I saw the first sneak peeks of this about, oh, a year or so ago I remember thinking "man--that movie is going to suck. why are they remaking that?". You know what? This one time I am glad I was wrong.
I was extremely worried how the movie would portray Native Americans but I am glad to say they were shown with compassion and truthfulness--neither presented as having an inherently better moral high ground than everyone else yet not the old stereotypes we got from too many poorly-written TV shows.
My wife was worried that Depp would channel too much of Captain Jack Sparrow but, no, he maintained a completely different accent, tone, and mood consistent with the character--there was nothing of the rogue pirate to be found, thank goodness. I do not recall having seen Mr. Hammer in any role before but he has good screen presence and portrays a boyishly charming character quite well. He reminded me a little of a slightly younger Steve Carrell
The characterization of this Lone Ranger was very similar to Seth Rogen's Green Hornet--a guy trying to do the right thing but not really knowing how to do it. This is not surprising, of course, given that those two characters are, in fact, related to one another. Anyway, we would also find ourselves essentially making it up as we go along if thrust into similar circumstances but this serves to help us identify with the character more completely. Still...he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed--it takes a lot to finally convince him that the men who deserve to face justice will never face justice in the traditional sense. You would think he would have gotten the point when events transpired that left him as the only ranger left (out of that group, of course) but no, it takes more. *shrug*
On the down side, I saw a lot--I mean a *lot*--of plot that mirrored Antonio Banderas's first Zorro film so some originality was lost but that is okay because I liked that film as a decent action film set in a non-standard time using a non-standard character. Also, we know the bad guy is the bad guy because he has a nasty facial scar that gives him a permanent snarl featuring a metallic tooth. Really? We couldn't figure out he is the bad guy because he is a murderer? Plus, once we know he is the bad guy you don't have to keep proving it to us--we understood it 30 minutes ago. Red's gun leg? Nice idea--Cherry Darling from Planet Terror, anyone? In short, their sequel--if the ticket sales of this movie warrant a sequel--will need to have more originality and a deeper plot. Still, we will forgive them because they are essentially having to introduce the characters to people who have probably never seen or heard of him before.
An excellent summer popcorn flick equally as enjoyable as Man of Steel. I recommend seeing both, actually. Don't pay the ridiculous 3D prices, though--not worth it.
Subtle hint: Rebecca Reid, played by Ruth Wilson, does not answer her son's question.
When I saw the first sneak peeks of this about, oh, a year or so ago I remember thinking "man--that movie is going to suck. why are they remaking that?". You know what? This one time I am glad I was wrong.
I was extremely worried how the movie would portray Native Americans but I am glad to say they were shown with compassion and truthfulness--neither presented as having an inherently better moral high ground than everyone else yet not the old stereotypes we got from too many poorly-written TV shows.
My wife was worried that Depp would channel too much of Captain Jack Sparrow but, no, he maintained a completely different accent, tone, and mood consistent with the character--there was nothing of the rogue pirate to be found, thank goodness. I do not recall having seen Mr. Hammer in any role before but he has good screen presence and portrays a boyishly charming character quite well. He reminded me a little of a slightly younger Steve Carrell
The characterization of this Lone Ranger was very similar to Seth Rogen's Green Hornet--a guy trying to do the right thing but not really knowing how to do it. This is not surprising, of course, given that those two characters are, in fact, related to one another. Anyway, we would also find ourselves essentially making it up as we go along if thrust into similar circumstances but this serves to help us identify with the character more completely. Still...he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed--it takes a lot to finally convince him that the men who deserve to face justice will never face justice in the traditional sense. You would think he would have gotten the point when events transpired that left him as the only ranger left (out of that group, of course) but no, it takes more. *shrug*
On the down side, I saw a lot--I mean a *lot*--of plot that mirrored Antonio Banderas's first Zorro film so some originality was lost but that is okay because I liked that film as a decent action film set in a non-standard time using a non-standard character. Also, we know the bad guy is the bad guy because he has a nasty facial scar that gives him a permanent snarl featuring a metallic tooth. Really? We couldn't figure out he is the bad guy because he is a murderer? Plus, once we know he is the bad guy you don't have to keep proving it to us--we understood it 30 minutes ago. Red's gun leg? Nice idea--Cherry Darling from Planet Terror, anyone? In short, their sequel--if the ticket sales of this movie warrant a sequel--will need to have more originality and a deeper plot. Still, we will forgive them because they are essentially having to introduce the characters to people who have probably never seen or heard of him before.
An excellent summer popcorn flick equally as enjoyable as Man of Steel. I recommend seeing both, actually. Don't pay the ridiculous 3D prices, though--not worth it.
Subtle hint: Rebecca Reid, played by Ruth Wilson, does not answer her son's question.
