The Lone Ranger reviewed

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

     If you've heard about The Lone Ranger at all, then it was probably nothing very flattering.  It's been critically panned by almost anyone who isn't your everyday movie-going audience.  You know.... the people that movies are actually made for.  The average person shelling out $8.38 for a ticket (National Association of Theater Owners) has enjoyed it for the most part.

     That's me, in case you haven't noticed from my past reviews.  Just an average movie-going guy, shelling out his cash and possibly sneaking in a box of $1 candy from Walmart.  So, here's what I thought of it:  It was a fun movie to watch, probably due to the amount of levity that followed John Reid, a.k.a. the Lone Ranger (played by Armie Hammer) and Tonto (played by Johnny Depp and brought to his usual levels of character eccentricity) throughout Texas.

     I'll be upfront about the amount of levity.  This movie felt all over the place, seeming to struggle to find its own identity.  It was a western, an action and adventure, a comedy, a little romance, and even a little mystery.  All rolled into one movie.  This didn't really bother me.  There was enough to like about all the different parts to find it enjoyable.  I do think Gore Verbinski should have spent a little more directorial effort in focusing on a more singular identity.  In that regard, I feel he had a much stronger performance in how he shot Pirates of the Caribbean.

     I remember watching Lone Ranger reruns in the eighties on some independent TV station (I imagine) out of Rockford, probably with my brother Matt and Dad; these are mostly just bits and pieces of memory, like him using silver bullets, never ever taking the mask off, going after the bad guy Cavendish, and not being in the business of killing anyone-- just bringing justice to their crimes.  The 2013 version stays fairly true to all of that.

     You'll want to keep in mind that like Man of Steel, this too is an origin story.  From the arrival of John Reid into Texas, through the events that spark him to don the mask, to his friendship with Tonto, we see it all again for the first time.

     I found some of the more enjoyable acting to come out of William Fichtner (Elysium, Prison Break, Entourage) and Tom Wilkinson (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Michael Clayton).  As the villains of our story, I thought they brought a some variety to their characters that fleshed them out more than the Lone Ranger.

     Hans Zimmer once again provides a movie with a well-composed score, and makes sure to tuck in Rossini's William Tell Overture, a Lone Ranger staple.

     I think it all works.  Will it continue to work?  Will this become a new, big Disney franchise?  Probably not, as the numbers at the box office have spoken.  Focus will be shifted to Pirates of the Caribbean 5 (I don't think there is a title yet) and The Lone Ranger will be left (ironically) alone, with the studio scratching their heads as to what went wrong.  I'm glad I saw it in the theater.  I'm giving it:      7 out of 10