You’ve seen movies about lost pets before (how many times did Lassie get lost?) but Rango is a new twist on an old plot. Instead of a furry dog, Rango is a pet chameleon who goes off on an adventure, after being stranded in the desert by himself.

Desert Drifter

Our star the chameleon (played by Johnny Depp) drifts into town, calling himself “Rango”. The town’s name is Dirt, and it’s inhabited by a motley crew of animals including a snake, tortoise, armadillo, moles and a whole bunch of other four (and more) legged desert creatures.

Rango, you see, is suffering from an identity crisis. All his life, he’s been the family pet. Now separated from his family, he’s trying on a new identity – that of a hero. Little does he know how much trouble he’s about to get into!

Dirt, you see, is in the middle of a water crisis. And as the town decided that the “tough-guy drifter” named Rango is the one for the job, he’s about to discover where the water has gone.

The Plot Thickens

Rango runs afoul of the Mayor of Dirt (played by Net Beatty), who initially called him a hero after Rango accidentally kills the hawk that terrorizes the town. The Mayor names Rango as the town Sheriff, but that only allows our hero to discover the unsavory side to the Mayor.

The Mayor eventually runs Rango out of town; as Rango leaves in disgrace, he begins to wonder who he really is. Is he a chameleon with a dream, or is he really a hero? And to answer that question, he needs the Spirit of the West (played by Timothy Olyphant). Spirit tells Rango that he can’t walk out on his own story, and convinces Rango to return to Dirt, where he promptly challenges Jake the snake (played by Bill Nighy) to a duel.

There’s plenty more, and in the end, Rango does find out who he is, and who he is, is a hero.

Should You (and the Kids) See Rango?

The majority of the movie-goers said this would be fine for older kids, but not for the under 9 crowd. While this is an animated movie (which normally would target kids), it’s really more geared to an adult audience.

So, if you have young ones in tow, you may want to give Rango a pass (unless you leave the kids with a babysitter and go see the movie yourself). On the other hand, if you don’t need to worry about youngsters, then go on and see Rango for a lighthearted good time.