Rango Movie Review -

I've been on the road for the past few weeks and today was my first day back at the office in a little while. I started this morning, looked up and it was time to go to lunch. I went to Moe's Southwestern Grill and had the Nachos with beef and beans. As an aside, what anime and Americanized Mexican fast food are supposed to have in common I don't know but, either way, it was delicious. After lunch, I went back to the office. Shortly after that, I looked up again and it was time to leave. Yeah, it was one of those days.

After work, seeking some form of mental floss, I decided to go see Rango which opened this past Friday. I don't really know what I expected, but this was better. The movie is both an homage to and send up of practically every Spaghetti Western ever made.

The story follows the adventures of Rango, an animated chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp, who becomes sheriff of a small town of desert animals which is running desperately short of drinking water.  It has an armadillo who seems to be a reincarnated Sancho from Don Quixote trying to make amends for the sins of his past life. It has Rango's quest to “reach the other side” which dovetails nicely with the quest pattern detailed in Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. It has animation that makes you forget it's animation. It has.... well you get the idea. In short, it was just what the doctor ordered.