The
Lone Ranger
(2013/Disney Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
A-/B Sound: A-/B Extras: B- Film: B
Let's
start by saying I think Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp got a bad rap
for this film.
Originally
envisioned as a 1930's Radio Show, The Lone Ranger quickly enthralled
audiences and would soon thereafter be spun off into a popular book
series. From there The Lone Ranger took off like a bullet with a TV
series, graphic novels (comic books), movies, and enough merchandise
to make Mickey Mouse blush.
Most
people remember Clayton Moore (from the television series) as The
Lone Ranger due to his image being essentially everywhere; though
John Moore did replace him for a brief period before his return.
Over the years multiple studios attempted to resurrect The Lone
Ranger on TV and on film with little success; most of the time being
flat out failures. So after a hiatus of over three decades (with the
exception of an especially bad Chad Michael Murray TV pilot in the
early 2000s) Disney took a chance in 2013 and decided to get The Lone
Ranger back in the saddle.
Seemingly
Disney's venture back into the land of The
Lone Ranger
faired just as well as all other attempts with little financial or
critical success. Directed by Gore Verbinksi, the filmed takes the
story of The
Lone Ranger back
to its roots as an origin tale; loosely using elements from previous
versions and established mythos.
The
film starts off at a carnival in San Francisco in 1933. Here we have
a young boy (dressed as The Lone Ranger) wandering the carnival,
eventually finding himself in a sideshow about the old west. While
pausing for a moment to take in an exhibit on The Noble Savage,
the Indian on display comes to life. Revealing himself as The
Lone Ranger's partner Tonto (Johnny Depp), he tells the young boy the
tale of The Lone Ranger and how he came to be the legend everyone
knows today.
After
a series of tragic events, including train derailments, betrayal, and
death; a man must put on a mask to reveal who he really was meant to
be. With the help of the Comanche Indian Tonto, gutless lawyer John
Reid (Armie Hammer) rises from a sandy grave to avenge his brother's
death and save his family from lawless madman Butch Cavendish
(William Fitchner). The Lone Ranger and Tonto face many hardships on
the path to justice; their relationship not exactly being an easy one
from the start as Tonto believes John to be the wrong brother,
along with The Lone Ranger discovering Tonto's less than courageous
past.
The
film is overall quite entertaining. Beautifully filmed, nicely
paced, and pure fun The
Lone Ranger may
not have ended up the epic, all time classic Disney had hoped for;
but in this reviewer's opinion does make for a solid film. Whereas
other critics have taken extreme pleasure in picking apart The
Lone Ranger;
I found myself discovering many more positives than negatives with
the film. Without a doubt it has its flaws and I think some were
expecting Depp to bring the brilliance of the first Pirates
of the Caribbean movie
to Ranger,
but the fact of the matter is Ranger
was
not the start of an innovative film series but merely a great popcorn
flick. The film nicely balances comedy and action, infusing dramatic
elements to give it an edge. There were even times, due to some of
the more violent moments that I thought the film was surprisingly
edgier than your standard Disney venture. Johnny Depp's Tonto
certainly was NOT Captain Jack Sparrow, but remained interesting
throughout and with a bit refinement (if they allow a sequel) could
be an even greater character. The chemistry between Armie Hammer and
Depp is undoubtedly there and once again (if they allow a sequel) I
think the duo could have some great adventures.
Don't
believe the critics, with countless gun fights and over the top
hijinks the film is well done and I am sure I am not aLONE with those
sentiments.
As
a side not the best line in the movie was by far:
They
were going to violate me with a duck foot.
The
technical features of this Blu-ray set are equally impressive with a
stunning picture and solid sound track that will delight any home
viewing experience. The picture is presented in a 2.40 X 1, 1080p
AVC-Encoded, MPEG-4 High definition that has brilliant colors, solid
contrast, and deep inky blacks that frame every action packed moment.
There is a slight intentional desaturation of color to give Ranger
that
historically Western feel, which I feel was quite appropriate. The
CGI incorporated in the film is good overall, but some of the heavier
computer generated moments are more obvious than I would have
expected; being somewhat distracting. The sound is spot on as the
7.1 DTS HD-Master Audio track is well rounded as it utilizes the
entire speaker range with solid prioritization and panning effects.
When the Hans Zimmer musical scores kick into gear the speakers
explode with life and place the viewer in the heart of the action.
The DVD in this set is
merely a downgrade of the already wonderful Blu-ray.
The
extras are not as stellar as I would have liked to see (something to
prove there is more story to tell perhaps??), but there are some nice
features to dive into; although quite short. The extras are as
follows:
Becoming
a Cowboy featurette
Riding
the Rails featurette
Deleted
Scene
Armie's
Western Road Trip
Bloopers
In
the end, I will say that the majority of people are wrong and I am
right. That is too say, The
Lone Ranger was
a solid film. Perfect? No. But captured the essence of The Lone
Ranger with its over the top epic battles (do bullets every run
out?), establishing of a journey, and (though they danced the line)
reinforced that truth and justice always prevail. Disney's The
Lone Ranger is
The Lone Ranger for the next generation, managing to maintain the
established mythos, updating the campy elements from the past, and
concurrently making it its own.
-
Michael P. Dougherty II
