Rango will leave a bad taste in your mouth if you brought children to the theater. What could have been a great children’s movie ended up an average drama-comedy for western lovers. Though you should blame the advertising department, not the movie.

Everyone that’s seen the movie will first immediately mention the beautiful visuals, saying, “Best I’ve ever seen,” “puts Pixar to shame,” and other nuggets of over-compensation. If visuals could make movies better, then Sunshine would have won Oscars. Yes, the world of Rango was incredibly detailed, and the characters were lively and diverse. But all that gorgeous scenery falls flat as a backdrop to a dull story and rigid character development.

Rango’s story is an amalgamation of, and homage to, classic westerns. Many of the key story points are taken directly from popular westerns. For example, Rango isn’t the main character’s real name: he is the ‘Lizard With No Name.’ And he lies about being Rango, a notorious gunslinger, which is taken from another western– several, actually. Outside of the movie’s setting, there’s very little creativity and this will weigh on you if you aren’t a classic western fan.

To parents, a grain of salt-based caution: despite what uptight people will tell you, the movie does not make satanic references. Those lines are references to classic western dialogue. On the other hand, there are two mild curse words spoken in rapid succession near the end of the film.

Not that you should take your pre-teens to see this movie anyway. Let ‘em work through some Eastwood films first.

On the surface, Megamind is about a super-villain, upon losing his super-hero, must become the hero to save the town and the woman he loves. But peel that away and you realize it’s about a deformed kid learning he can be anything he wants… after he kills Brad Pitt and creates a more evil super-villain than he himself ever was.

The storyline is suitably simple, but solid and, though predictable, enjoyable. It pokes the right amount of fun at the classical superhero comic world while maintaining its audience– that is, children.  The jokes were wide-ranging, well paced, and rarely crude. There were a few scenes that felt dry or ill timed, but no film is perfect. The scenes where Ferrell and his co-stars improv are great, and because it is a kid’s movie, those scenes don’t descend into eye-rolling territory like his adult films often do. Most importantly, the characters were lively and memorable. Characters we’ll enjoy in at least one sequel, I’d imagine.

There are two and only two Will Ferrell movies I like and Megamind is one of them. I’m not one to gush philosophical over movies– my critical tone is right Ebenezer– but Megamind earned a spot in my top fifty, possibly top thirty movies. Complete with baby seal boots. (That’s a reference to the film, not a personal apparel preference.)

Verdict: I enjoyed it. I almost enjoyed it a lot. That’s high praise from me. The movie was well-paced, though a bit long. Nothing was over the top or gratuitous; those involved rallied a great effort to maintain the PG-13 rating. The movie felt almost classical in presentation; the cinematography was crisp. While the dialogue could have been better, the film was well-shot and directed. I particularly liked that the final battle wasn’t some “epic” 3D affair with eleventy billion soldiers. You can tell this movie had good funding and it was put to good use by talented people. I hope they do a sequel alone the same tone.

Update: I appreciated how the music was understated, not brash or overt. It stayed to the side, letting the scenes conjure emotions instead of slapping us in the face with melody instructing us what to feel. That said, the use of tapping flutes during low-ley tension scenes was effective and a nice period touch.

What I didn’t like

• Marian’s “week-long” marriage to her now-deceased husband seemed a poor band-aid for the eventual plot hole of a sudden onset of love for Robin.
• The scene where the horses kick open the gate was poorly constructed to the point of unbelievability.
• The loyalty of Robin’s followers seemed glued on after he thrice left them to their own fate. Especially Little John’s.
• The Sheriff was under-utilized. Which is why I think there’s a sequel brewing.
• How Robin was rendered an outcast was anti-climatic after such a well-paced film, tacked on almost. Further cause for thoughts of a sequel.