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RANGO (2011)Movie Reviews
Animated family adventure about a chameleon who fancies himself a swashbuckling hero and must fully inhabit his role in order to protect his newly adopted Western town from bandits. Cast:Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Alfred Molina, Ray WinstoneDirector:Gore VerbinskiRelease Date:March 4, 2011DVD Release:July 15, 2011From:ParamountRating:PGLength:1 hr 47 min
Rango (2011) played to very good reviews. • Curt Holman wrote in Atlanta Creative Loafing, "...a brilliantly animated, rousingly entertaining adventure-comedy that pays homage to the kind of Hollywood you thought had ridden off into the sunset." • And MaryAnn Johanson wrote for Flick Filosopher, "...a deeply weird and deeply demented movie, and thrillingly so." More Reviews Below...
Rango (2011) Positive Reviews (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "While Depp turns his bug-eyed reptile into a charismatic character, the plot gets lost in a maze of tangents... has too many tasteless jokes..."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 78 words, 03/03/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "Neither 'Rango' the mash-up movie nor Rango the lizard is particularly lovable. But there's no denying the intrigue in its combination of the good, the bad, and the ugly."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 03/04/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Its strong suit is visual panache.... too bad that consistent comedy and emotional resonance get lost amid the dust and cacti."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 03/04/11
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...some kind of a miracle: An animated comedy for smart moviegoers, wonderfully made, great to look at, wickedly satirical, and (gasp!) filmed in glorious 2-D."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 03/04/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the poster child for those who are anti-3-D, and a great reminder that genuine creativity doesn't need a gimmicky crutch to appeal to audiences."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 906 words, 03/05/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...gratifyingly fresh and eccentric. Much of the time you don't quite know where it is going, which is high praise indeed..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,192 words, 03/04/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...sharp-edged, surreal, and often astonishing in its giddy creativity.... the animation is so gorgeously rendered, it puts every 3D effort in recent memory to shame."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 03/04/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...rewrites the animation playbook with its eye-popping critters and varmints... a time-bending, mind-bending, just-go-with-it fable... destined to become a classic."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 834 words, 03/04/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a work of inspired lunacy... overlong and overclever but gets by on manic energy and a fantastic voice cast led by a wonderfully unhinged Depp."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 03/04/11
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: OUTSTANDING "...thrillingly goofy, unabashedly strange... might be a bit convoluted for young kids, but the total sensory overload should keep them happy."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 03/07/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...some kind of a miracle: An animated comedy for smart moviegoers, wonderfully made, great to look at, wickedly satirical, and (gasp!) filmed in glorious 2-D."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 03/04/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...drowns under the weight of discordant objectives... fails to consistently blend its brainy pretensions with its chase-and-slapstick family-film obligations."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 03/02/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a non-pandering comedy that takes its message of western individualism seriously: It's here for you and your children to enjoy - or not - as you please."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 03/04/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...great news for adults, particularly genre aficionados, who will be delighted by this peculiar, snappy and delightful riff on spaghetti westerns..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 03/03/11
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has a spiky, unsentimental appeal, sending out slightly risque jokes to parents while staying safely out of the danger zone for kids."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 03/04/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...best enjoyed by those over 10 who have an idea of what 'existential' means and can appreciate a surreal mashup of 'Chinatown,' 'Gladiator,' 'High Noon,' and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.' "(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 467 words, 03/04/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an exuberant, audacious love letter to spaghetti westerns, masquerading as a kiddie cartoon. And it delivers deliciously on both levels."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 03/04/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Verbinski has crammed the movie with references to other films... Throw in the offbeat vocal talents of Johnny Depp as the title chameleon and you have a really fun film."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 03/04/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a fun movie and a noisy one, but not the great work of family-friendly gonzo this particular crew could have created with just a little more focus."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 03/04/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "John Logan's effervescent screenplay runs from wild eccentricity to equally wild slapstick.... It is, all in all, off its rocker. But it's gorgeous..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 03/04/11
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...funny and powerfully weird... probably the closest I've seen a big-budget, computer-animated feature get to the comic vibe of my favorite Chuck Jones cartoons..."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 402 words, 03/04/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...iconic like a spaghetti Western, smart like a '70s conspiracy thriller and lively like a Coen brothers comedy."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 03/04/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...as trippy as a 'toon can be... begins in a delusional state and goes gonzo from there... This movie is obviously not right in the head, and I love it."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 03/03/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...drowns under the weight of discordant objectives... fails to consistently blend its brainy pretensions with its chase-and-slapstick family-film obligations."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 03/02/11
Leanne Cari, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the kind of filmmaking that teeters right on the edge of being revolutionary. No one else has used animation like this, it's a first, and worthy of your attention."(See all of Leanne Cari's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 954 words, 03/04/11
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...simply stunning, and John Logan's script gives them adult-oriented, movie-related in-jokes to drawl on. Best of all? It's not in 3D!"(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 165 words, 03/11/11
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...turns an assembly line of classic western themes and iconography into a bustlingly fresh genre ecosystem.... the sly mixture of character and subtext elevates it..."(See all of Glenn Heath Jr.'s reviews...)(Read the full review...) 811 words, 02/28/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...great news for adults, particularly genre aficionados, who will be delighted by this peculiar, snappy and delightful riff on spaghetti westerns..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 03/03/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a brilliantly animated, rousingly entertaining adventure-comedy that pays homage to the kind of Hollywood you thought had ridden off into the sunset."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 03/04/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a deeply weird and deeply demented movie, and thrillingly so. What is Hollywood coming to with 'Rango'... and how can we ensure that it stays there?"(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 03/02/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: OUTSTANDING "...spectacularly cinematic, possibly because the great cinematographer Roger Deakins consulted on visuals.... a real movie lover's movie..."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 273 seconds, 03/04/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...gratifyingly fresh and eccentric. Much of the time you don't quite know where it is going, which is high praise indeed..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,192 words, 03/04/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...rewrites the animation playbook with its eye-popping critters and varmints... a time-bending, mind-bending, just-go-with-it fable... destined to become a classic."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 834 words, 03/04/11
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...a stunning virgin foray into feature-length animation from Gore Verbinski and the vfx miracle workers at ILM... looks and feels nothing like the toons that have come before."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 03/01/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...a madly clever animated sagebrush saga with style and wit... most exceptional is the visual style, which makes even the best animated 3D look like a poor cousin."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 974 words, 03/01/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...rewrites the animation playbook with its eye-popping critters and varmints... a time-bending, mind-bending, just-go-with-it fable... destined to become a classic."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 834 words, 03/04/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...gratifyingly fresh and eccentric. Much of the time you don't quite know where it is going, which is high praise indeed..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,192 words, 03/04/11
18.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Rango (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Rango (2011) (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Rango (2011)'s reviews cover 99.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 26,889 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 572 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Rango (2011) Coverage, Volume & Length (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 8.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Rango (2011)'s reviews on average broke 8.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Rango (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Rango (2011) (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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