In the theater there were a total of 5 people, which made me reflect on the reviews for the show and the likely fact that it will lose a bunch of money. With a budget in the range of $225 million, the film was destroyed by the critics. Word of mouth I got from normal people was very positive. By and large the critics hated it. Why?
Let me say that this is not all that unusual. I also don't mean to criticize the critics because everyone should give their honest opinion of stuff.
Let me also say that I have a lot of admiration for the folks who wrote, directed etc. this show; for letting it flow without being bound by some timeworn blueprint for how to make money. They let it roll just like they did with Pirates of the Caribbean.
In order to enjoy the movie I think you need to be willing to let it flow like they did. Remember that an old man is telling the story to a little boy and is probabably embellishing the tale just a bit.Be mellow about holding it to some standard. Okay, the scene where Tonto is grilling a rabbit and tosses a scrap to the carnivorous rabbits watching from the shadows is likely far-fetched, but it's okay. Wasn't it far-fetched when Luke Skywalker got his arm cut off by a lightsaber and Han pulled him from the platform into The Millenium Falcon?
I have a prediction about this show. I think that in time it will be a classic. After it makes the rounds of HBO and Showtime it will be one of those which your kids will watch a dozen times in a month, similar to Star Wars, when it hit cable, lo, many moons ago.
I loved the cinematography. The shots of Monument Valley were spectacular. Carley and I were there, back in the 1980's. It is one of the most awesome places on earth. I liked the nighttime shots, like when The Lone Ranger was hauling Butch Cavendish across the desert with a rope. The special effects alone were worth the price of admission. The heroics on the moving train for the last part of the movie were eye-popping stunts.
Johnny Depp was a great Tonto and 'stole the show' as one might expect. He is a funny dude. It's worth the price of admission to watch his facial expressions, like when he discusses how the Lone Ranger should marry his dead brother's widow, or when they are buried neck deep in the dirt with scorpions crawling on their faces! Which brings me to that horse.
No, not the brown one in the picture, but the noted Silver, who is actually white and obviously smart as heck. Tonto proclaimed that "There's something wrong with that horse!" He would be correct, and frankly, the horse stole the show even from Tonto because he was just cool. He was a spirit horse and disagreed with Tonto's choice of helpers in his quest for vengeance. In fact, Kemosabe, according to Depp, means 'Wrong brother'. He wanted to team up with the Lone Ranger's hero brother. Heck, the Lone Ranger won't even shoot anyone and would have made a better evangelist. Ha, ha.
In short, the movie is fun, funny, a little crazy, over the top, uninhibited by convention, action packed, very cool, campy and bizarre. It was very long but never drug along. Carley calls it 4 out of 5 stars and I might give it 4.5 stars.
If you go to the movies, watch this one with a view to just flowing with it, okay?
From the land where a horse can stand on a tree limb, run along the roof of a train and is smarter than an Indian, I'm CE Wills.
P.S. You may notice that I gave no plot or credits. An unconventional review for an unconventional show.
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