Showcasing a lighthearted film with a good moral, Rango is the perfect family flick. The movie brims with many emotions that can appeal to almost any audience member, featuring action, romance, humor and drama in this Gore Verbinski flick.

The movie stars the infamous lizard Rango (voice of Johnny Depp), a quirky, unconventional character that engages in different identities in an attempt to discover self-acceptance and individuality.

In the beginning of the film, Rango is in a glass enclosure in the back of a car. The enclosure ends up being thrown out of the car, sending Rango to live on his own and ultimately leading him on a quest to find a place to belong.

Rango encounters a lizard named Ms. Beans (voice of Isla Fisher) who transports him to a town called Dirt, where the downtrodden citizens are all facing a drought and cannot support themselves.

The film has a twist of an old Western film, but entails much more. The bank in Dirt distributes water to the townspeople while the Mayor (voice of Ned Beatty), a turtle in an automatic wheelchair, runs the town. In Dirt, Rango claims to be a “hard as nails” type of character and is therefore awarded town sheriff. However, problems soon arise, as the town is notorious for the short-term length of sheriffs.

Rango is given the task of returning water to the town of Dirt, but every time he attempts to do so, some type of unfortunate event occurs. Rango and other characters form a team and venture out into the barren desert on a quest to find the water.

The main conflict of the film occurs when Rattlesnake Jake (voice of Bill Nighy) is asked to come to the town of Dirt and overthrow Rango when they discover that he is a fraud. Jake confronts Rango, and scares the town into believing that they are hopeless.

In the end, the people of Dirt must count on the newfound hero to restore the community’s water, their most valued possession, despite the dangers of death, drought and Rattlesnake Jake.

The animation in Rango is beautiful, and the detail in Rango’s texture and eyes is impeccable. Although this film is animated, each character has its own distinct traits, and even though they are animals, they all have human characteristics.

The characters in Rango all face some type of struggle. Their trials are amazingly relatable to our own lives because of the emotion they express to one another and the pain they feel. Throughout the movie, I began to share the pain and restlessness the characters feel, as I felt that the struggles they have been through sometimes are similar to my own.

Even though Depp seems to be a favorite, the entire cast is perfect, making it easier for audience members to forget that Depp plays the lead character and instead focus on the portrayal of the lizard star and his ensemble of Western companions.

Rango features two main conflicts throughout the movie: Rango struggling to find his identity, and regaining Dirt’s water supply. What I enjoyed about the film is that it was not pointless like other children’s movies, but instead focused on trust, hope and faith — some of the major components of life.

Though the movie does have a streak of crude humor and sarcasm, the overall features of the film draw back to some kinds of deep emotion such as pain, sorrow, humor and even love.

Therefore, pardoning some of the language, Rango is a relatable and enjoyable movie to watch with the whole family. Overall, the film appeals to children because of the animated characters, but stands as entertaining to adults because of the intense story line and themes. It is definitely a must-see for 2011.

Rango, rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking, is playing in most local theaters. For tickets and showtimes, visit Fandango.

For more movie reviews, read the March 11 article, Talented actors rescue ‘The Adjustment Bureau.’

Tweet