Never Take Off the Mask

The Lone Ranger
2013 | Color | 2 Hr 30 Min | Western | PG13 | Disney

Director: Gore Verbinski

Writers: 

Justin Haythe 

Ted Elliott

Stars: 

Johnny Depp

Armie Hammer

William Fichtner

In the 1930s, an elderly Tonto tells a young boy the tale of John Reid, the Lone Ranger. An idealistic lawyer, he rides with his brother and fellow Texas Rangers in pursuit of the notorious Butch Cavendish. Ambushed by the outlaw and left for dead, John Reid is rescued by the renegade Comanche, Tonto, at the insistence of a mysterious white horse and offers to help him to bring Cavendish to justice. Becoming a reluctant masked rider with a seemingly incomprehensible partner, Reid pursues the criminal against all obstacles. However, John and Tonto learn that Cavendish is only part of a far greater injustice and the pair must fight it in an adventure that would make them a legend.

Man, I love blogathons for one simple reason it gives me an excuse to watch a movie that has been on the back burner forever. So when Quigly over at The Midnite Drive-In announced his blogathon based in Texas I could not wait to jump in and watch a western. I have also been waiting for the negative dust to settle before firing up the new version of an old hero of mine The Lone Ranger. All that bad press is why I held out, so the question at hand was it worth the wait? Well, join me shall you as we take an adventure back to the 1800's.

Director Gore Verbinski is most famous for bringing us three Pirates of the Caribbean movies throughout the years along with two highly acclaimed horror flicks 2002's "the Ring" and 2016's "A Cure For Wellness" so Disney definitely found the right man for the job. Verbinski along with his buddy cinema photographer Bojan Bazellie (The Ring, Petes Dragon) paint a very light and dark western world that really sets the tone! Sadly thanks mainly to critics blasting this film The Lone Ranger has now become one of Disneys biggest flops and this film is one of the biggest financial flops of all time which lost the studio between 94 and 119 million dollars.

I hate talking about negatives but this movie sadly has a few of them. The "frame story" feels so out of place it was confusing. I felt like I was watching the Princess Bride of the Western world. 

So a young boy Will meets the old Tonto at the Wild West sideshow called "The Thrilling Days of Yesteryear." Now, this was the opening narration of the radio broadcast so of course, this takes place in 1933 the first year of the radio show which the movie is trying to base itself on?  I don't know like I said its confusing and not necessary. So the movie gets rolling and your enjoying the story when all of a sudden we jump back to Will and Tonto again ugh just stop already and get on with the film.

Is this old Tonto or Bob Newhart?

I did like the fact the story was a little bit more about Tonto that the Lone Ranger this was a fresh take. But I did not like how he was written to be dumb. I get that Tonto means "fool" in Spanish and Italian but that was not how he was written in the tv show or the serials (At least in my 9-year-old brain anyway) The problem critics had with the film, was mostly due to the casting of Johnny Depp as Tonto, and that Depp played Tonto too much like Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. But I disagree to an extent I felt Depp was wonderful in his role, in fact, one of the bright spots for the film. 

The actor that annoyed me had to be Armie Hammer has the Lone Ranger! Again maybe I remember my Hero being just that a Hero, not a baby or maybe am wrong and the Lone Ranger was always a wimp and if that is the case my childhood is based on a lie! Hammer drove me crazy he just did not fit the bill as one of America's legends. If anything this movie has peaked my curiosity to go back and listen to the radio show and read a few books. Ok enough negativity that's not me so let's look at some of the good...

Out side of the movie just looking amazing and transfering you to another time the action is this flick is top shelf. From good old gunfights to a train chase scene this movie has it all. Bad guys that are so bad and ruthless they push this movie into its PG-13 rating. Also, this film pays homage to John Ford in many ways. Plus we get a stellar soundtrack that includes none other than the William Tell Overture, by Gioachino Rossini that pumps through your surround-sound making you sit up in your seat to take noticed has this movie is about to get crazy!

It's funny I am sitting here trying to be positive about a movie that I did not hate at all and yet I seem to remember more of the bad things. It was not Jonny Depp that tanked this movie it was more on the writers and casting director. Am so torn I cannot stop thinking about the movie and that is a good thing! This is a fast-paced wild ride well worth your time. You get a different look with this story of the Lone Ranger that wraps's itself up tight in the Indian spirits and legends rather than just bad guys. Amazing to look at to the point you will feel the need to dust off your boots when it is over because you sure will feel like you took part in the old west. Maybe not the greats Lone Ranger movie but a fun one at that.

3 Smoking Gun's out of 5

Again make sure to check out the other bloggers during The Texas Blogathon.