The Lone Ranger

Hi-ho silver away!!!.. and bring me back some popcorn!!!!  During a typical review I will rant and rant good or bad or both seemingly endlessly until just when your eyes and brain have had enough, I come out and say the magic "P" word.  In the case of this review's film, I couldn't help but blurt it out right from the get-go: this film is surprisingly good.

 Just a little tuneage to get you into the spirit

America needed a good, old fashioned western to grace its movie theaters.  A movie that channeled old America and old American film, The Lone Ranger did just that and was the film that America needed.  Only so many times can we see a Robot or Super hero movie.  The Lone Ranger went back to America's roots and was the perfect balance of an exaggerated old American "Cowboy vs. Indian" film.

Hey guys, take five!

We can say "thank you" to this film's producers, the same people who gave the world the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  The Lone Ranger was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; a spectacular producer is key to the success of a film/franchise and Bruckheimer is one of those producers whose projects are followed and known: Pearl Harbor, Blackhawk Down, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, CSI, etc.  Randomly throughout the years, Hollywood will attach a big name like Brad Pitt or Steven Speilberg to film as its "Executive Producer".  Usually those names don't really hold much creative clout, and instead it's more of a honorary role;  many times producers are practically anonymous to We The Viewer.  In the case of Jerry Bruckheimer, his name is well known on film and television projects, and his name forms lines around the block.  As we have high expectations for anything associated with the name "Jerry Bruckheimer", creating a film is a process that sits on the shoulders of a team, not one person.  Here are the other reasons as to why The Lone Ranger is a summer blockbuster and worth your money at the box office:

1. The Lone Ranger was backed by Disney, need I say more? Okay... some more reasons below.

 Thanks, Uncle Walt!

2. This film was directed by Gore Verbinski.  He is a guy whose name people may have heard of, but most probably aren't sure why.  He directed the Pirates films and Rango, he even won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Rango.  What most people don't know is that he also created the Budweiser Beer Frogs, and his Pirates movies have grossed billions of dollars world-wide.  Needless to say, he has quite an impressive resume, even if it's on the light side.

3. The Lone Ranger is based around a classic, iconic television show utilizing familair theme music and beloved characters reminding people why America loved this show in the first place.

Now one thing you can count on from any film associated with Disney is that the Special Effects, Costumes, Make-up, Cast, Crew and Story are all going to be stellar!  Think about the grandiose look and feel of the Pirates films...now put that "energy" into the wild west.  What's that get you?  The Lone Ranger indeed.  No expense was spared for this film, every minor detail was thought out and executed with precision, leading this film to be entertaining from start to finish.

Before Disney                          After Disney

Who are those guys?                We'll take it from here.

As most can assume, or have already heard/read/seen anything relating to this film, you know that this is yet another Gore Verbinksi/Disney/Bruckheimer/Johnny Depp film.  Depp hangs up his sword and rum for a dead crow and some face paint.  In this film Johnny Depp plays the iconic Native American side-kick: Tanto.  Now, I personally have been a little overly-Depp'd of late, however, I felt that he did a rather impressive job as the Comanche pal to our masked hero: John Reid played by Armie Hammer.  These two unlikely men find themselves paired up against a common enemy: outlaw scum Butch Cavendish played by William Fichtner (he's going to play Shredder in the upcoming Ninja Turtles film). These actors work great together and have great comedic chemistry, leaving the audience laughing at  all the situations they encounter.  Another actor to grace the screen playing a rather "unlikely" character was Tom Wilkinson.  All four characters come into contact with one another throughout the storyline and... yes, (spoiler alert) the good guys win.

As for the plot, The Lone Ranger had a unique story-line.  At times it seemed as though all the cards were on the table and that the adventure was flat, but it inevitably found a way to flip itself around and extract a new card.  In the end we were left with a very entertaining character arc for The Lone Ranger, Tanto, and a baddie.  Much of the plot twists were related to the process in which we were given information.  This film was told from memory by a first party individual.  All of the action, danger, comedy and adventure was shown through the eyes of the "narrator" but not necessarily in order. 

Final Words: Large Popcorn 
Grab your kids, get your movie tickets (fandango anyone?) and go enjoy this film with a large popcorn at the theaters.  You will be happy you did.  Depending on your age and your love of individual law men, this movie may just make you feel like a kid again! The Lone Ranger is the newest film to treat the senses to an exhilarating, hilarious, action-packed story.  The plot was nothing short of perfect to be honest.  The character arcs and evolution seemed to toe the line of perfection; again thanks to Disney.  To put this film into one word: fun!

Until next time, happy viewing!

Review Rating based on popcorn sizes: small, medium, large, extra-large; 

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