My Review: The Lone Ranger

More Serious than Pirates of the Caribbean but still Entertaining

When I went to see The Lone Ranger, I wasn't expecting so much violence, dark turns, and grit. But, then again, it's the Wild West, and I had to remind myself we weren't on The Black Pearl any longer. This subject matter is closer to the heart- it's more real, and more serious. Thousands of Native Americans died in Wild West defending their territory, which would ultimately be taken away. They trusted the American settlers too much, and it lead to their death. Sure, there are prostitutes in POTC, but in The Lone Ranger they are front and center with the line, "No free rides" shouted by Helena Bonham Carter as the head of Red's and the woman with the gorgeous fake leg that hides a gun. I could have done without someone carving out a human heart and eating it.

A few strange funny moments seemed out of place: snarling bunny rabbits, scorpions, and a horse wearing a hat in a tree. They are meant to lighten the mood and appeal to children- but I have to say if I had kids- at least the young ones- I wouldn't be bringing them to see this. Juxtaposed with mass genocide, these moments seem odd. Is this an action movie? A drama? A period piece?

Johnny Depp is great as always, and I wonder if this would have been better as a movie about Tonto without the Lone Ranger and the hokey jokes. There's one scene where the Sheriff asks Tonto what his crime is and Tonto replies "Indian." This got to me, because that's the only reason why he's persecuted.

I enjoyed the American music classics thrown in, and the attention to detail in the filming- the buffalos reflected in the windows of the train. The last twenty minutes is a thrilling action scene without too much death. If they'd kept this mood throughout and stayed away from the mass genocide, this could have been more like POTC.

This movie may be a mishmash of genres, and no POTC, but I still think it's worth seeing.