LAST EDITED ON 08-26-14 AT 02:46 PM (EST)

Actually, this is way too late to qualify as a movie review for the 2013’s Lone Ranger. But since it’s a slow day and since it had an impact on me, I thought I’d throw out something about it. All that follows is, of course, IMO.

After reading the reviews (it was universally panned) I did not have any ambition to see it before this weekend. But I had an idle couple of hours and found myself watching it. Why? Don’t really know, it just happened. Sometimes I watch odd movies.

And I was astounded with how entertaining, imaginative, well crafted, and creative it was. After hearing that it was a joke of a movie (it was, but in a very good way), that it would be death to Depp’s career, and unfavorable comparisons to “the Wild Wild West (which I wasn’t fond of), it completely blew my non-expectations out of the water. And Depp was at his quirky best. No one else that I know of could have put that spin on Tonto. Jay Silverheels, I’m afraid you are now just a stale side note.

Spoiler alert!!! (Said with some sarcasm as the movie is over a year old. But I always wanted to do that).

A little boy in a Lone Ranger outfit wanders into a carnival side show of western dioramas, one of which features a live Indian. An aged cynical side show Indian claiming to be Tonto who looks at the boy, takes in his Lone Ranger outfit, and tells him to never take off his mask. Then proceeds to spin a fantasy yarn about how the Lone Ranger began his career fighting evil, and how Tonto got involved. Which is actually well imagined, considering that it is, essentially a tall tale. A Pecos Bill roping a tornado tall tale. He takes him back to the days of yesteryear!

It is no surprise that with Tonto as the spinner of the yarn, he, Tonto, comes out of it as the real hero who repeatedly and with little success at first tries to help the misguided and over virtuous Lone Ranger catch the bad guy who murdered his brother and ate his heart (nice fantastic touch there). Apparently, and in contrast to the original TV/radio series, Tonto has an ego and is capable of resenting his lot in life.

And as great (if fanciful) a tale as it was, it was told with a balance of cynicism and self-promotion that one could easily imagine coming from a Tonto that had been relegated to a carnival side show diorama. For me it hit all the right notes. They say that a mountain of money was spent to make this movie, and I say it was money very well spent.

Screw the critics.

Crabman

• RE: The Lone Ranger. A belated review. ,kidflash212, 10:40 AM, 08-26-14
  • RE: The Lone Ranger. A belated review. ,kingfish, 11:05 AM, 08-26-14
    • RE: The Lone Ranger. A belated review. ,PepeLePew13, 12:32 PM, 08-26-14
• RE: The Lone Ranger. A belated review. ,dabo, 11:09 AM, 08-27-14

Never saw it - the universally bad reviews kept me away. Possibly, one night when nothing else is on, I'll watch it.

Critics are not always right. The movie Fargo sucked big time yet they loved it.

Tribe!

LAST EDITED ON 08-26-14 AT 12:37 PM (EST)

I watched The Lone Ranger alone. No one around to interject their opinion, good or bad.

Perhaps that’s the optimal way to see this (or any?) movie. The Eberts of the world can keep their opinions to themselves till afterwards.

Have to differ on Fargo though, I was really caught up in the clunky-ness of the characters who in spite of their prosaic life styles, were capable of such abominable acts, both premeditated and spontaneous. Very amused by the dialog too.

And the setting was just so stark. And cold.

But I‘ve read a number of opinions that agree with you. Apparently it’s just one of those movies, like maybe The Lone Ranger is. Except that with the LR, if the viewer can keep in mind that it is just a tall fanciful tale told by a cynical old Indian and colored by his own view of life and the circumstance surrounding the telling (we don't know if he's making this up on the spot inspired by the boys LR outfit, or whether he is the real Tonto. Either way it's obviously a yarn), I think it can be properly enjoyed by anyone. Except Critics. With Fargo I think it’s more straightforward, you are either put off by it or are entranced by it.

The TV miniseries Fargo was IMO the best in a long long while, and captured very well the spirit of the movie. I hope there is a season 2.

Yes, Fargo is returning for season 2, and it's going back in time with a setting of 1979.

Really enjoyed the TV series and thought the movie was good.

Thank You Mask Man (Lenny Bruce -- you've been warned)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5fpcaPE0dk