Movie Review: "The Lone Ranger"

I went to see "The Lone Ranger" today with low expectations.  I knew if was two-and-a-half hours long, way too long for almost any movie, and after experiencing the over the top yet underwhelming and almost depressing "Man of Steel" a few weeks back, I was expecting another big-budget summer popcorn movie that would be pretty much a piece of junk.  Why did I go then, you may ask?  Well, I wanted to see Johnny Depp playing Tonto.  From the trailers I'd seen, I figured he would make the movie worth seeing.

Well, maybe it's good to have low expectations because it turns out that I really liked the movie.  Depp was quite good, as expected, and the action sequences were amazing.  The story, with which most of you may already be familiar, was a rousing one.  A good western can still be pretty stirring.  Armie Hammer (what kind of name is that, anyway?) played the Lone Ranger.  He wasn't bad in the role, but he's no Johnny Depp, and the movie ended up being as much about Tonto as the Lone Ranger.  Chalk that up to political correctness in the 21st century and the star power of Depp.

The movie was directed by a guy named Gore Verbinsky who also directed several of Depp's
Pirates of the Carribean franchise movies.  Much of the movie had a tongue-in-cheek quality to it, which prompted one of the guys I was in the ticket line to call it "The Lone Ranger of the Carribean."  That was not a bad thing, and it made this movie something that all movies should be - a fun experience, something that "Man of Steel" definitely was not.

This movie probably won't score any Oscar nominations except maybe for Special Effects or Cinematography (scenes filmed in Utah's Monument Valley - think classic John Ford westerns - were absolutely gorgeous), but it was entertaining and, as I said, fun to watch.  So put it on your summer "To See" list, but be aware that it is worthy of its PG-13 rating.  Quite violent at times, so send the little kiddos to see "Despicable Me 2" while you watch this one.

Oh, and by the way, Silver, the horse, was great in this one!