WOW! I was impressed by your elaborate criticism about the Rango movie. Thank you so much for your review.
I should say that I have a higher opinion about this animated movie, and for this reason, I’m gonna rank it 9 out of 10. My elevated opinion about the movie is basically because of its profound story with didactic messages.
To me, the climax of the story was when Rango was trying to cross the street at night. The background music and the nightly ambience haunted me so bad, and I had to watch that part several times. Crossing the street was a symbol of transformation in life, which was possible but at a cost. it was such a risky endeavor. However, it was necessary for Rango to reach for salvation and enlightenment, which was represented in the film by the spirit of the west.
Another theme of the movie was identity crisis. Before crossing the street at that night, Rango questioned himself who he was, and answered himself as “nobody”. He was actually a nonentity suffering from nihilism. Yet, he was resolute to change, and that’s why he became enlightened or transformed.
In this highly satirical masterpiece, Rango was first like a fish out of water. Although he was a chameleon or lizard which should be really good at camouflaging, he literally failed to blend in with the surrounding atmosphere and people. However, he optimistically pretended to be in charge of everything. In English, we say, “fake it till you make it“.
Finally, I think the movie is trying to instill the philosophy of existentialism in our minds. That is to say, we can be whomever we want to be. We just need to know our passion in life and take steps slowly but steadily in the journey. Exactly like Rango, who managed to have faith in himself by the end of the movie, and because of his self-confidence (having faith in himself), he didn’t need to be worried about anything or anybody.