It wasn't hard to outdo the preachy contrived plot of the 2003 Ranger movie, but this one took a step beyond to become a mainstay.

First, it is an adventure film, a Western adventure. The Lone Ranger is a mystique character, and part of the challenge is that he tries to bring men to justice alive. Same for Superman. If they didn't have this challenge, they would have no conflict whatsoever. It makes for a puzzle.

Tonto takes center stage here, but unlike the 2003 disaster, he is a character instead of a symbol of a godlike race. Here, no favorites are played. The most evil ones in this story are a pair of white men, and other white men they enlist, but we aren't given sermons about this.

Depp is great as Tonto. The museum scenes are a bit too much for me, but it is good for the kids. The out of sequence bits work, partly because they aren't emphasized too much. Depp, as Tonto, craftily plays this with a subtle humor, and that is just what is needed for this.

There is the magic and mystique of the Ranger, but also an explanation given for it, as "Nature out of balance". We are dealing with a supernatural chain of events which do allow the Lone Ranger to ride a horse through and on top of railroad cars.

Great blend of humor and adventure, and at the same time a crafty blend of Shakespeare and Indiana Jones. This is better than what meets the eye, and what meets the eye is extra special in itself, with plenty of eye candy for men and women.

The Lone Ranger came to television two years after I made my earthly debut and I can as a little kid still recall Gerald Mohr's voice narrating the beginning of the program. Fran Striker's character had been on radio for a good ten years previous, at least on network radio and the story behind the masked man and his faithful Indian companion Tonto were universally known. Back in those days a hero character like The Lone Ranger was accepted without reservations or qualifications. To bring it to today's audience in a more cynical age just would not fly.

But better that it be consigned to the TVLand channel than to be given what we get here. The story of The Lone Ranger is told to a small child by an aged Tonto played by Johnny Depp who recounts how the partnership came into being. Having seen the 90 minute three part episode involving the massacre of the company of Texas Rangers I knew the story and was ready for the variations to come.

Armie Hammer plays John Reid younger brother of the Texas Rangers captain and sole survivor of the massacre in a box canyon by the Butch Cavendish gang. Back in that pilot Glenn Strange played Cavendish and he was your typical western villain of the day.

William Fichtner plays a Cavendish with some real issues. Normally I would never be siding with these 'family' groups as they rarely take my part in any social issue. But I can sure see why they were down the Disney Studio for producing this. Like it or not the Magic Kingdom has its reputation for family entertainment and those who were looking to see something from the yesteryear of Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels got the shock of their lives.

And Armie Hammer as the self righteous bordering on the doofus who becomes The Lone Ranger was too much for me. Johnny Depp also as Tonto whom we learn was a Comanche carried a joke too far. I've always liked Depp as an actor who takes on some quirky projects and makes them pay off artistically, flops badly here.

In 1981 there was an attempt to revive the Lone Ranger which failed miserably. On the strength of Depp's prestige this will attract the curious like myself. Still I would say you're not missing much if you fail to see The Lone Ranger of the 21st century.

Given that it bombed at the US box office on release, I found THE LONE RANGER a surprisingly enjoyable movie and a nice tribute to the TV series and characters of old. Yes, it's a typically overblown Hollywood blockbuster, all style over substance, and with a running time of no less than two and a half hours it's grossly overlong and padded out with endless action sequences which verge on the tedious at times.

Elsewhere, THE LONE RANGER proves fitfully engaging, and features a winning performance from Johnny Depp as the mostly silent Native American sidekick, Tonto. It surprises me to admit that I enjoyed his performance, because I haven't liked much he's made in the last couple of decades, with SWEENEY TODD the only time I really warmed to his character. And I actively dislike his silly overacting in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise and DARK SHADOWS. Here, he fits the role nicely, and is a real asset.

That this film is flawed is a given. Armie Hammer's hero veers on the side of slimy rather than likable, and there's too much of the CGI-enhanced action to entertain audiences. The climax, with all kinds of madcap stunts, explosions, and effects, is a case in point. I'd much prefer a film which is more grounded in reality, but the trend for outlandish, incessant CGI puts paid to that kind of thing. Still, for a modern-day Disney film, THE LONE RANGER isn't bad at all, and certainly better than many rival productions that are lauded by audiences (THE HUNGER GAMES series, for instance).