The Lone Ranger

After reading a lot of bad reviews elsewhere on the internet I thought I'd update my original review here as it didn't day much (probably still doesn't >.<). I enjoyed this movie vary much and pre-ordered it for 2 Dec 13, which arrived on time (thank you Amazon.) People complained as it was unlike the original TV series and seemed to centre more on Tonto's life rather than solely on the Lone Ranger. I never saw the TV series so I cannot compare the two but I thought this movie was awesome. So what if it centred more on Tonto's life than the Lone Ranger's! I think it was the right idea. I am not sure of the storyline of the Tonto in the original TV series but I thought this was a vary sad story that was being told. Tonto's mistake, when as a boy (played by 10-year-old Joseph E. Foy, who certainly looked the part,) leads to the massacre of his village and his being shunned/kicked out of the Comanche tribe, and he spends the rest of his life alone and looking for the man who killed his people. The movie opens and we see a young boy in a cowboy outfit looking through displays of a Wild West show ion a fair in about 1933, I think it was. There he meets the lonely and elderly Tonto (played by Johnny Depp) who proceeds to tell the young boy of how he met the Lone Ranger and how they brought down the men behind the killing of his people and those who used the railroad for their own greed. The movie has some vary funny moments in it, some over-the-top but enjoyable action and some strange scenes (carnivorous rabbits, foe example "nature out of balance, Tonto explains.) Every so often the movie switches back to the elderly Tonto pausing in his story to the boy. I think Johnny Depp stole the show here with his portrayal of Tonto with his wry expressions and funny one liners. I think this movie had one of the saddest endings I have ever seen. We see Tonto leaving the Wild West show and shuffling off with the slow bandy-legged gait of a vary elderly man, dressed in a suit, bowler hat and carrying a suitcase as if hiding his Red Indian heritage. We see him shuffle off into the bleak landscape disappearing off into the distance. We do not learn what happened to the partnership of the Lone Ranger and Tonto and how Tonto is now alone. Perhaps the Lone Ranger retired and went back to live with his brother's wife, abandoning Tonto. Perhaps he died and Tonto was the sole survivor of the story. It was just incredibly sad to see him going off on his own knowing he would never return. Perhaps he died out there, as I guess there would be no more Indian tribes out there as he once knew them. Or perhaps Tonto was an elderly man who only thought he was Tonto, and was reliving a past that was not actually his, though did not realise it. Perhaps the Lone Ranger never existed at all. So, all in all a brilliant movie that is highly under-rated. There are a few extras's on this Blu Ray version, such as bloopers, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes programmes. Awesome picture quality, though in one brief scene I got a load of white noise on the audio track. Not sure if it was my disk or machine.

The early signs were not good, tales of production problems galore and early critical notices wading in to kick the film before it had even had a run at the theatres. The Lone Ranger seemed destined to be a blockbuster stinker. Yet in spite of it noticeably alienating original Lone Ranger purists, and some Western lovers as well, for a rollicking action fun packed time then Gore Verbinski's movie delivers in spades. It's awash with the serial silliness of adventure films and TV shows of yore, pitching good guys against bad guys with buddy buddy shenanigans pulsing away at the core. The stunts are outrageously enjoyable, the landscape photography as beautiful as it is respectful in homage to past masters of the Western genre, while in Depp's Tonto there's a bona fide hero to root for just as much as he makes you laugh out loud. This is an origin story, a tale of how John Reid (Armie Hammer) became The Lone Ranger, and of course how the noble steed Silver and Indian side-kick Tonto became integral to his villain fighting ways. Tom Wilkinson and William Fitchner file in for polar opposite villain duties, the former is the weasel business man trying to mould the West in is own image, the latter a repugnant psychopath with a penchant for eating human hearts! Then Helena Bonham Carter wanders in from some Grindhouse movie for a couple of cameos that are resplendent with sexual energy. It's all very wacky and wild, and rightly so, but this is not at the expense of very good story telling. Some parts of the narrative could have been trimmed, but as the bromance builds between our two heroes, and Silver gets up to all sorts of comedy horse escapades, there's nary a dull moment here. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Verbinski throw all the action staples into the pot. Chases, fights, swinging from ropes, shoot-outs, people dangling from speeding train (pic is bookended by awesome train sequences), grisly deaths and on it goes from start to end. There's caustic asides to the machinations of organisations of the time, from railroad magnates to the cavalry, while the catchphrases and legends of The Lone Ranger TV series are deftly inserted into the tale. It was interesting to see Depp come out and defend the movie against those damning early critic reviews, it's not something he does, being as he is very much a guy who sees acting as just a job. Bruckheimer, Hammer and Verbinski backed Depp up, stating that some reviews were written before the film had even been released, the big budget and production problems clearly making this a big stinker... Not so, it's certainly not flawless, and those seriously into anachronisms are likely to have kittens. But if you haven't seen it yet, if you was put off by the venomous early reviews, then give it a chance, you may just be surprised at just how entertaining it is. It also looks and sounds brilliant on Blu-ray, where repeat viewings even show Hammer to be better than first thought as that masked man. 8.5/10

My family & I thought this was a good film. It was amusing (light comedy, with running gags like "Why the mask?"), and the photography, animation and other special effects where very well put together and executed. It did seem pretty violent in places for a "12", and this may be something that could have jarred some viewers. If you remember re-runs of the TV series (the last episode was made in 1957 with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels) then you may enjoy the off-beat parallels between the two main characters in the film compared to the TV series. However, the film is quite different, as Tonto seems to be the major character, while the Lone Ranger (Kemosabe) is the "wrong brother". You may also feel a twinge of nostalgia when the theme music from the William Tell Overture kicks in. There are plenty of negative reviews here, but I'm not really sure why. Give it a go, it's only 10 quid.

If you're doubting whether to buy this movie on account of the slamming it got from critics and it's poor box office performance, please just give me a second to explain why you should watch this movie. Quite simply, it is awesome. Gore Verbinski, director of the first three installments in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, delivers another stunning, action-packed, fast-paced spectacle. There is rarely a moment the action lets up and we are treated to some truly spectacular sequences: the final train chase being one of the best shot scenes i have scene on film this year. The script and story, from the writers of the Pirates series, is also brilliant, blending good old fashioned western with high adventure, some elements of fantasy and some great humour (particularly from Depp, as usual). The cast is equally brilliant with Depp delivering another weird and hilarious performance; Armie Hammer makes a great Lone Ranger and he and Depp have great chemistry; William Fichtner (of Prison Break) makes a great villain and brit Ruth Wilson does her underwritten role justice and Helena Bonham Carter is as masterful as always in a small but great role. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia, The Rock and dozens more action-packed movies) brings his usual tropes of epic action and Hans Zimmer provides a stirring, thumping good soundtrack. Though it may be slightly over long at two and a half hours i can honestly say i didn't want the movie to end. This is a great family movie, wrongly slammed by critics. If you're looking for a movie to sit down and escape into, then this is it. Highly recommended. The DVD extras are very poor, a few deleted scenes and an amusing gag reel are all that you get. This is a movie made for blu-ray, so if you are willing to invest in a slightly higher price i would opt for blu-ray where you get more extras.

Like everyone else I've read the bad reviews, read the online criticism and mildly enjoyed seeing Disney shoot itself in the foot again ... BUT ... all of that is wrong because this is a marvellously entertaining and well made production. I can't understand how anyone who has actually seen it could fail to love it! What we have here is a beautifully constructed homage to the cinema western genre in the guise of a (sporadically) comedic action film. There are references littering the artfully shot landscapes. One moment your watching a full on Sergio Leone film ('Once Upon a Time In The West' is a major influence and gets repeated musical nods), the next you're in John Ford territory, then Buster Keaton, the something totally new and so on. It WORKS! Depp and Hammer work well together, Mr Depp's version of Tonto is both amusing and profound and the whole thing is a metaphor spun by the older Tonto ... maybe ... perhaps ... I (man - 49) watched this with a 48 year old woman and a 16 year old female and we all adored it. I'm not easy to please with films, I ditest 'popcorn' trash, I love cinema when thought and style are involved and this has both. Honestly, it's really really fun, enjoyable and a delight to watch. DO NOT BELIEVE the negativity. Never has a film been more unfairly maligned!

I can't be the only person out there who avoided The Long Ranger due to bad word of mouth? I mean, the movie was given such heavy negative press that it just seemed like it was an utter disaster. That was nearly ten years ago now and I've grown up since then. I've grown to understand that people's opinions are not fact and for two pounds, I may as well try the movie out for myself. The Lone Ranger was originally released in 2013 by Walt Disney Studios. At the helm was director Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film stars Armie Hammer as the legendary Ranger and Johnny Depp as his trusty side kick Tonto. The movie failed at the box-office and did it so impressively, it was recognised as one of the biggest box office flops of all time. Looking back at it now, it may have been a bit harsh as I found out, I quite like this movie. For those who don't know, Gore Verbinski gave us the excellent Pirates of the Caribbean film. The director took that same approach and applied it The Lone Ranger. The movie has the same dark, filthy and twisted vibe the Pirates movies gave us. All the bad guys have filthy clothes, rotten teeth, tangled greasy hair and the world is a vicious horrible place full of many dangers. This style means there's a lot of detail to look at and this Bluray disc certainly brings out those details. It's a fantastic movie visually. I quite enjoyed the story in its simplicity. A group of Texas rangers go on the hunt for Butch Cavendish and his gang. They end up in an ambush that cost the lives of all but one, John Reid. With the help of a spirit animal, Reid is resurrected and in his determination to seek vengeance, evolves into the Lone Ranger character. I felt the movie was a smidgen too long in places but the character interactions and over all acting really held the film together. The chemistry between Armie and Depp is pretty good, providing many great laughs. As an actor, I quite liked Armie as the Lone Ranger but Depp as Tonto was a bit weird at first glance. After a while I thought he brought a bit fun to the character, we just needed to not see Jack Sparrow in the role. William Fichtner is suitably evil and great as our villain. I didn't recognise him at first but he definitely looks the part. The audio for the film is worth mentioning. The action set pieces in this film are remarkably silly but still great fun and it's really heightened by the excellent sound design. The use of sound with the runaway trains, gun fire, explosions etc is quite impressive and possibly one of the best I have. It's a great sounding film and definitely worth cranking up in a home theatre system. I paid £2 for this movie and to be honest, I feel I underpaid by a lot. I really enjoyed this film and would love to know what people don't like about it. It's got some great gags, fantastic action and a great cast. What's not to love?

I started watching this film on a long-haul flight and the system kept breaking down - familiar ? Whatever, I had seen enough to make me interested. I can see why it did not appeal to all the critics. It's difficult to see to whom is film is directed - children, big kids, adults, senior citizens - and my conclusion is anyone who enjoys eccentricity. The film is whacko - it has elements of Lewis Carroll in there - at times the film is very serious and suddenly switches to the jovial. If you have the right frame of mind to take in all as a huge romp, then I think you will enjoy it more. If you seek something more meaty in the way of a plot or a story unfolding and credible characters, you might struggle a bit. The chases and their choreography are amongst the best ever. I usually get bored with long chases but here they work. It's all so well staged. There isn't enough of a story to summarise so I won't spoil the film by disclosing the little there is. And really, it's not terribly important. Depp is very good and for me far better than any of the Jack Sparrow outings. The lead taken by Armie Hammer is a bit weird; I think they are trying for something too complex to work in this type of film. And there isn't enough of Helena B-C. Will I watch it again ? Not sure but certainly entertained me first time around.

'Disney' after all these years resurrect the masked-avenger and legendary screen hero 'The Lone Ranger' and companion 'Tonto' The TV series many remember ran from 1949-1957 and starred 'Clayton Larson' and 'Jay Silverheels' This action-packed adventure with more than it's fair share of humour as might be expected with 'Johnny Depp' in the role of 'Tonto'; takes us back to the beginning of their friendship, when. in the early moments 'John Reid' assumed dead by the 'Butch Cavendish' gang is persuaded to wear a mask by 'Tonto' For completely different reasons the two seek justice.....together. The unlikely couple light up the screen with their antics. (Tonto, many, many years on, working in a fairground 'Wild-West' show is telling a young lad his tale of his adventure with 'The Spirit Walker) All I can say, as did an earlier reviewer, don't take any notice of reviews that slate the film..... For me, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the final twenty minutes or so is probably the funniest film sequence I've seen in many a year....truly brilliant....... if you were among the audience in the US you'd probably give the film a standing ovation during the ending credits .........don't miss it. Among the additional features on board to enjoy.....'Annie's western road-trip' .. 'Becoming a cowboy' ...'Riding the rails of the Lone Ranger' ...'Deleted scenes' and the ever popular...'Bloopers' 'ENJOY'