"The Lone Ranger" Review

I will begin by saying I didn't have much expectations for The Lone Ranger to begin with. But my father is a big western fan, and he had been waiting for this movie to come out all summer. And for a man who wants to go see an early screening at 10:30 at night when his bedtime is usually 9, I thought that maybe there would be something special about this movie that I wasn't getting from the trailer.

There wasn't.

Film Summary: After being raised from the dead by an Indian named Tonto, John Reid dons a mask and becomes a western vigilante seeking to bring his brother's killer to justice.

The film started off on quite a confusing note by opening at a carnival in San Francisco circa 1933. Here, a small boy dressed as the iconic hero walks into a exhibition of the old west and is greeted by an old mannequin version of Tonto that comes to life before his eyes? At least, I think that's what happened. I haven't quite figured it out, because the movie never bothered to explain what Old Tonto was doing in a glass exhibition case in 1933, how he got there, or why the writers felt like this was remotely necessary. The Old Tonto/Little Boy subplot served as the movie's excuse for the Lone Ranger's (or more so, Tonto's) story to be told. Was this needed? Absolutely not. People had already paid good money to see these characters on the big screen. They didn't need any excuses from the characters as to why they wanted this story told. The movie could have very well have started in on the main plot first thing, but instead, we are "treated" to quite a few annoying segments of a crazy, aging Indian telling a young on-looker about his adventures.

While the carnival subplot was unnecessary and confusing, this was in no way the main problem the movie faced. For a movie named The Lone Ranger, the masked Texas Ranger seemed more of a secondary character to his "Indian" sidekick. If anything, the movie should have been called Tonto in order to put the right focus of the movie in place. Armie Hammer's Lone Ranger comes off as an incompetent man of the law  instead of the daring hero this movie needed to thrive. Part of this I don't believe is Hammer's fault, but that of the writers. They knew who people were coming to see (aka not Armie Hammer), and they knew who to make the true main character in order for the movie to do decently at the box office.

Once again, audiences are given a Johnny Depp showcase. Don't get me wrong; I love Johnny Depp. He is a great character actor, and has many amazing, memorable roles under his belt. But his last few movies only serve to test just how far he can stretch his style of diversity and just how much makeup he can put on his face (Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows). It should have been clear from these past flops that relying on Depp's weirdness does not a good movie make. And why Depp was cast to play a stereotypical Indian of the old west when there were several others within the film who had the looks and lineage to fill the role better baffles me. Depp looked very out of place compared to his fellow tribe members, but his heritage wasn't the reason he was given the part, was it?

To the movie's credit, The Lone Ranger did provide a few very intriguing action sequences (most of which took places on trains), but not even these scenes mixed in with a score by the great Hans Zimmer could save the film.This could have been a great opportunity for Hammer to sky-rocket his career and to become a big name in Hollywood. That is the only thing I was expecting out of this movie. Hammer is a wonderful actor. He proved that by playing both Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, but took a step back in his career by signing on for Mirror Mirror. And with the camera and director giving all of their love to Depp throughout the movie, Hammer is going to have to really push himself with his next project in order to prove he is the great actor I believe his is fully capable of being.


FINAL VERDICT: If you must see it, wait until it's available for rental.