The New Lone Ranger Western Movie with Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer Movie Review.

Let me start out by saying this is perhaps the only movie I have ever seen that I could not just say – I COULD NOT STAND IT AT ALL! or I REALLY LIKED IT! For the first time that I can remember I am in a mind set of having to rate this movie in a 1 to 10 rating. Oh sure there have been movies that I might think had parts I did not care for but this movie was just odd. In that case I found I would give it a 4. If you are looking for a western movie that is very accurate in detail to history this is not it at all! All the way from misrepresenting cultures to movie props this movie is not there. The movie opens at a fair in America in 1933 where a small boy dressed in a child’s Lone Ranger outfit is focused on ( The Boys cap pistols are zinc die cast repeaters from the mid 1950s not pre world war II cast Iron models.) I don’t really have a problem with sets and props in movies not being historically correct. I really like most of the late 1950’s TV westerns and there are a lot of things in the Television westerns that just are not accurate either. But this is a point I felt I needed to bring up and address because it is a issue with some folks.
Now let me say I really tried to go to this western movie with an open mind. I had read many reviews and now that I have seen it for myself I can see some were fairly correct and some were just out and out wrong like the reviewer didn’t even see the same movie I did.
Also if you are a classic Lone Ranger FAN this movie I do not think is for you. I do think it would have really upset Clayton to have seen this! I will try and explain what I liked and what I did not. In a positive note yes the movie is almost 2 1/2 hours long But at no time was I ever bored or thought the movie was dragging. Some of the other reviews I read spoke of the blood and gore so I expected a lot more than was shown. The bloodiest part of the movie is when Butch cuts out Dan Reid’s heart and eats it. This is hidden pretty well but I do think small children would be very traumatized.
The beginning of the tale told by a very old Tonto to the small boy is full of suspense and then some wonderful action and special effects. This movie bounces around a lot from violence to humor like the directors could not agree or decide on who this movie was for. I REALLY AM OF THE OPINION THAT THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR SMALL CHILDREN! That being said means I think this movie is not a family movie! I do not plan on watching it again! Call me old fashioned but I do not think a scene of a man using a bucket as a toilet is good family entertainment OR any kind of entertainment for that matter. I find that sort of scene along with many other scenes in this movie cheap and degrading. Some of the special effects are amazing and some are very evident and cheap looking. All in all I may sound a bit conceited when I say if I had been handed $250 million dollars and told go make a Lone Ranger movie. I would have chosen a completely different direction and had I been in charge of this project I really am convinced The New Lone Ranger could have been a much better movie that parents would have taken their children to see thus creating a demand for endorsment toys. To me it seems like these people had no marketing of products in mind after this project. I have seen Lone Ranger Legos which really surprises me because those really seem to be for small kids and this is not a small kid friendly movie! Had the folks at Lego seen the movie first I am not sure there would be any Lone Ranger Legos. It really would surprise me to see any more toy endorsements for this.
I also feel there are a lot of subliminal messages in this movie. It seems to be a really strange mix of them. I have heard some mention that had it been just a western and not a Lone Ranger movie they would have liked it better. I really think being The Lone Ranger is what kept a lot of things in check in this movie. This is an action packed stunt filled movie with some fun humor and some folks may really enjoy it. I sat through the whole thing and never got upset enough to walk out like I walked out of Rango and Cowboys and Aliens. But I also want to point out that keeping in mind this was a Disney movie makes me want to say shame on Disney and shame on the owners of The Lone Ranger.
This review was written by –
Bob Terry