Below is a special movie review from my sister, Marie. Disney invited Beltway Bargain Mom to come to a special pre-screening of their newest film “The Lone Ranger” starring Johnny Depp. I invited my sister to come with me, so we could enjoy a special “girls night out” at the movie theater, and she graciously offered to write a review of the film. Consider this a sneak peek at the newest Disney film! Marie is an avid reader and loves to write. She’s a full-time government contractor and mom to one bubbly, baby boy. I know you’ll enjoy her review below!
Last week I was invited out to a special pre-screening of “The Lone Ranger” (PG-13) starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. This movie is action-packed with great acting from the lead roles, and laugh-out-loud comedic moments.
I have to confess, having a 15 month old shadow — err toddler — I don’t get out much, and can’t remember the last time I was actually in a movie theater, much less screening a movie before it released to the public. So this was a treat to get a chance to preview the next big Disney flick at Tyson’s Corner with my sister.
If I had to sum up the movie in one sentence, I would say “An action-packed, wild west blockbuster that evokes The Princess Bride/Pirates of the Caribbean/Zorro.” The narration of the movie is similar to that of Princess Bride where an old man is telling the tale to a young boy. The comparison to the Pirates movies may be obvious, but it comes from the reunion of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise plus lead actor Johnny Depp bringing adventure, wit, charisma and humor to life on the big screen. Since I remember watching another beloved masked hero, Zorro, on the Disney Channel growing up but am unfamiliar with the original Lone Ranger, I see many similarities between the two masked heroes on missions to protect and defend good.
The movie starts out with Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounting the story of how John Reid become the Lone Ranger at a Wild West exhibit in a carnival. I found myself being drawn into the plot, forgetting that Tonto is telling their story to a little boy and it is all past tense until they flash back to the present with the little boy asking a question (very “Princess-Bride-esque”).
In between the bloodshed and shootouts, Tonto kept me laughing. Tonto really reminded me of Depp’s portrayal of Jack Sparrow from “Pirates,” with Tonto being more than slightly crazy with a lot of slapstick/physical humor. However, the character that Depp plays this time is different enough that it didn’t feel like a clone. He and Armie Hammer make a great pair, and I loved the chemistry between them as they played two very different people working together for a common goal, neither one very thrilled with their partnership.
Hammer shines as the Lone Ranger, showing us his character development, as he grows from a bumbling city lawyer to a Wild West Hero. The film starts out with a gory death that sets him out on a journey to get “justice.” Several times he has to stop and differentiate between justice and revenge. He has to learn that as he becomes a masked outlaw that not everyone is who they seem, and to look deeper than appearances before judging a person.
Depp and Hammer get into many far-fetched scrapes along the way, barely escaping with their lives which helped to break up the movie and keep the audience laughing while moving the storyline along.
I wouldn’t really say there were any major storyline twists along the way but I was still waiting on the edge of my seat to see how everything would be resolved. I won’t give away the details of the ending, but I will say that it is definitely a Disney Movie with the hero winning at the end (which I would assume follows the original Lone Ranger movie).
Overall if you like the Action/Adventure Comedy movies, and Johnny Depp, this is a great movie and I would highly recommend it. I personally can’t wait till it gets out on Netflix or Redbox so that my husband I can watch it together.
Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” opens up to audiences nationwide on July 3rd, 2013. This is a great film to catch over the July 4th weekend!
This movie is rated PG-13 and I would agree with that rating as it did have a bit of violence, with many Wild Wild West shootouts. The majority of the shootouts were bloodless but there was a scene where a ranger was shot and was coughing up blood and was stabbed to death. There also were some suggestive scenes geared for older audiences, such as mild language, a scene at a brothel, and a cross dressing outlaw– but overall I would say the main concern for children would be violence.
*I was invited to special, free pre-screening event of the “Lone Ranger” at AMC Tyson’s Corner Center for members of the press and their guests. Please note, I am not a movie critic and was not compensated to write this post. All opinions are my own.
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