It’s been over a week since the movie premiered, but here is a review of the new Disney film with Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.
The Music
Hans Zimmer of Sherlock Holmes, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception and other movie fame supplied the soundtrack to this incarnation of the Lone Ranger. I don’t think it was his finest work, but it wasn’t distracting. The reason that I don’t think it was the best was because it reminded me of the Sherlock Holmes soundtrack too much, and that one was better it seems. His take on the William Tell Overture for the finale was great! It made the scenes that much more epic.
The Acting and Direction
The execution was good in this film. Where the direction truly was outstanding was with the villains of the movie. They truly seemed evil. Depp did a good job as a more modern Tonto, and though his voice seemed a little Jack Sparrowish, his characterization was different enough. Other characters were typically western, which was a good feel for the movie. And the way the plot was laid out was linear with well put flashbacks. Or, I should specify that the main parts of the movie is supposed to be a flashback, but the following of it all was not hard a path.
The Plot
This was the Lone Ranger origin, plain and simple. But, was it really all that simple? I think it really was, though there were some twists and turns. I have a friend that has said there are two types of movies that do well: a simple plot told in an intricate way, or a complex plot told in a simple way. This was more of a complex plot, but fairly simple. And it worked well. It unraveled the Ranger’s motives, Tonto’s motives, and even the villains motives in great storytelling ways. I’ve heard some say that it was too long, but I think it was just enough time. It did feel like having a whole series of episodes in one movie, but where other films have done something like this, the Lone Ranger made out like a bandit.
My Conclusion
From the perspective of having seen reruns of the original television show as a child, the film didn’t ruin the show. It is definitely a modern take on it all. I was afraid the film would venture into being too politically correct or the Lone Ranger would be too much of a cowboy and not a noble officer of the law. He ended up being quite noble, though not the full version of the old character.
There were some unneeded parts of the film, like Helena Bonham Carter’s parts. But, that’s all I can think of, actually. It wasn’t a wasted time film.
I know this film has had a bad rep. I really don’t know why. It was not a terrible film. It was pretty entertaining! I’m certainly glad that I saw it in theater. It’s a big film. Lots of explosions and the like. I will, however, say that I’m not sure I will ever rush to see it again. It was fun, and there are some parts I would want to watch again, Johnny Depp’s performance included. But, compared to Pirates of the Caribbean which is another Gore Verbinski film, I’m not eager to watch it again.
However, I would recommend to watch it at least once! It was a fun ride of a film, and I don’t regret seeing it the once. Say what you want with a statement like that, but it was a lot more decent than it’s getting credit for. Check it out before it vanishes from the theater!
And, until next time, have a marvelous day!
