I've gotta admit up front that I am not a huge Johnny Depp fan and frankly think I've seen enough of him for some time. Now I am not saying he isn't talented—he certainly is. But so often his films have 'mega-hit' written all over them and the public throngs to his films like lemmings—and I just think I've seen enough. Plus, he's in practically EVERYTHING these days and I just wish he'd take a break. This is especially true in "Rango" as if you love Depp, great...but if you don't, you'll probably REALLY hate the film. That's because Depp's character talks practically non-stop--and is about as subtle as Ebola. And, frankly, so many of the characters and the music to this film is just LOUD, LOUD and LOUD!!! I just kept wishing the film hadn't tried so hard. In my daughter's words, "there doesn't seem to be any plot...just Johnny Depp screaming a lot". Ditto.

This is all a big shame, as apart from being a loud and obnoxious film, the CGI is AMAZING--and among the best I've seen so far. It's a quality production but annoying--and the rottenness of the Best Animated Film category was terrible for 2012 if this film ended up winning! In my opinion, they should have just not given an award instead of rewarding such a film.

Rango is a great kids' movie that plays on many levels, like all great kids' movies. About a hundred churchies here don't like it; that tells you it's realistic and morally complex. (One person complained about its metaphors for good and evil, because "many people take God and Satan seriously". Yeah, but we don't all think we hold a copyright on them.) And some folks helicoptered in to complain that it's violent and would scare some kids. Fifty years ago my parents took me to see Bambi and it scared me. So did Dumbo. It's vital that kids learn about fear, danger, and violence, and a cartoon is the softest place to do it. Thank God my folks understood that. For the record, Rango's violence is funny and completely unrealistic. Would it kill you to talk to your own kids about the difference between slapstick and the real world?

There are "swear words" here, if you still think "hell" and "damn" are swear words, because it's a gritty Western. (That happens to star a chameleon.) There are a lot of Hispanic references and characters, because Hispanics invented cowboys and the "American" West; Nickelodeon simply decided to unwhite-ify the Hollywood version, for a change. (The guy I read who complained about that wasn't even Hispanic. Meanwhile, I have Hispanic friends who love this movie, in part because they're in it, for once)

There are several stereotypes, ethnic and otherwise, because it's a satire. If you can't grasp irony, avoid this movie. In fact, never go outside. And several minor characters smoke. I hate smoking. But: stereotypes, remember? Westerns? Cultural memes? How about just teaching kids the difference between allegory and real life?

As for the moral content, the "lessons" of Rango, which, I think I can state without incurring a spoiler slap, are: 1. the world is a crazy place, 2. scary problems have to be solved by ordinary people, and 3. a quick wit and a lot of luck sometimes beats a quick draw and a lot of money.

If you agree with that, and aren't scared of your own shadow, see the movie. I loved it, and I'm hard to please. It's a great romp, a witty farce, and a lot of fun, precisely because Nickelodeon didn't sugar it down to pious drek.

The Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year went to Rango and to be honest in this category it clearly deserves that. After The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Gore Verbinski brings us another highly entertaining movie, this time with something slightly different as it is an animated movie. The images and characters are just perfect, it's all very creative and visually stunning. As for the actors, or better the voice-overs, they were perfect in their roles. I can't see anybody narrating Rango better than Johnny Depp. The story is simple but effective, with alot of humor, maybe not for the younger kids but more for adults with a healthy imagination and that don't mind watching animation movies every now and then. Rango, a movie I will watch again in the future.