From the director of “The Pirates of the Caribbean” comes RANGO, featuring Johnny Depp in an original animated comedy-adventure that takes moviegoers for a hilarious and heartfelt walk in the Wild West. The story follows the comical, transformative journey of Rango (Depp), a sheltered chameleon living as an ordinary family pet, while facing a major identity crisis. After all, how high can you aim when your whole purpose in life is to blend in? When Rango accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt – a lawless outpost populated by the desert’s most wily and whimsical creatures – the less-than-courageous lizard suddenly finds he stands out. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt . . . until, in a blaze of action-packed situations and encounters with outrageous characters, Rango starts to become the hero he once only pretended to be. With a cast that includes Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone and Timothy Olyphant as the Spirit of the West, Rango is an exciting new twist on the classic Western legend of the outsider who saves a town – and himself in the process.

Who says that the Western genre cannot be made into an animation? Director Gore Verbinski (famed for directing Pirates of the Carribean) cleverly hybridises these two genres of film and packs it with commentaries on identity, existentialism, the importance of water, and the cycle of life.

It all begins in a small glass tank where Rango the chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) resides, together with a broken doll and a wind-up fish. His solitary existence is spiced up by his role-playing antics with his inanimate toys. Following a close encounter with death, Rango ends up along the roadside in the middle of the Mojave Desert. After some advise by the armadillo Roadkill, he decides to go in search for civilisation. He eventually ends up at an Old West town called Dirt.

The characters living in Dirt are of the colour that reflects the name of their town. Rango, being the green chameleon in a red Hawaiian shirt, easily becomes the standout amongst the inhabitants. And that is where he will make a name for himself and rise to the ranks of sheriff. His first task is to investigate a robbery case when the water reserves in the bank go missing.

This animation feature will certainly reach out to a wide group of audience. While kids are enjoying the antics of Rango, adults are able to immerse themselves in a witty commentary on the water issue, it being the key to power and control. The set of Dirt brings out the flavour of the Old West. It is crucial in allowing viewers to bring themselves into the setting and come to terms with those talking creatures. Lending his voice to Rango, Johnny Depp stamps his charismatic presence on this movie.

The only disgruntlement I have is the sharp dip in pace of the movie midway through, which nearly threatens the success of this film. At certain points, the viewer's interest in the film is analogous to Rango's questioning of his existence. Why should we even bother about Rango and the town of Dirt? The music by the band of owl musicians provides a sort of reprieve and their prognosis of Rango's demise helps to sustain the waned interest.

Despite the flaw, this movie is a winner in terms of breaking new frontiers in the film industry.