Lone Ranger, The (12/17/2013)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material.

Starring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson and William Fichtner

Directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean)

If you are a fan or even slightly familiar with the original, I think you’ll only be irritated by this movie.

From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ The Lone Ranger, a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice-taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

I remember watching reruns of The Lone Ranger as a kid…and yes I even dressed up as the Lone Ranger one year for Halloween. The Lone Ranger was a man of high morals, high character and high excitement. He and Tonto were friends and always had each other’s back. He always did the right thing the right way and he always saved the day.

But the Bruckheimer version portrays the Lone Ranger as a half-wit who spends more energy trying to impress Tonto than being the classic hero we all know. Armie Hammer looks the part, but he plays him all wrong.

Then there is Tonto. And make no mistake about it…this movie is all about Tonto. Johnny Depp starred in four Pirates of the Caribbean films with Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski, and they clearly were just keeping that train moving. Just about every joke feels recycled and reused (even the head band and hanging beads looks too familiar). Depp is great as Captain Jack Sparrow, but as Tonto…it just didn’t work.

But the biggest negative of all was the content of the film. This is hardly a kids’ movie. Sure there were shoot-outs in the original, but there was never any blood and amazingly the bullets just scratched the bad guys if they had them at all. But this movie has a high body count, graphic shootouts and persistent references to cannibalism (including a scene where we see the silhouette of a man having his heart cut out and eaten), carnage, and rape. I was very disappointed.

The one real positive thing happened not onscreen, but in the theater where I saw the film. There were several sets of grandparents and grandchildren in the theater, and it was so moving watching them see this film together. The grandparents were explaining the characters and some of the subtle throwbacks to the original. It was clear to me that the kids were not familiar with the Lone Ranger at all. Unfortunately they got a distorted view of these iconic characters.

The Lone Ranger could have been an excellent film but instead Bruckheimer and Verbinski decided to make a 5th Pirate movie (actually they are making the fifth one now) so I say “Skip it” and go see Despicable Me 2.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Surprisingly this is not a yes. There are 15 mild obscenities and profanities (hell, damn, piss) and 12 religious exclamations.

There’s also a surprising amount of violence — the film has a high body count and persistent references to cannibalism (including a scene of a man’s heart being cut out and eaten, albeit partially in shadow), carnage, and rape. Plus there are scenes featuring train derailments, fatal shootouts and explosions.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. What is the driving force for both the Lone Ranger and Tonto?


2. How did the Lone Ranger see justice?


3. How did Tonto see it differently?


4. What is your definition of justice?


5. Read Micah 6:8
   
   He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
   
   
6. Why do you think God combines justice, mercy and walking humbly together?


7. What’s the difference between justice and revenge?


8. What are some things you can do this week to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?