A Fish Named Wander?
Replete with endless inventiveness, Rango (2011) is a quasi-Western story concerning how the lives of the citizens of the desert town of Dirt are controlled by the availability of water – whether that citizen is a fox, a chameleon, or a mole.
It’s that chameleon who appears in town and takes up the name of Rango. He’s a frustrated thespian, and leaps into the role of tough guy, and then sheriff. But the immediate challenge of the town isn’t crime so much as a lack of water, and its usual supply has been cut off. But when the water bank is robbed, and the manager killed, Rango comes face to face, even eyeball to eyeball, with the corrupt power structure which is intent on being the top dog as it shapes the future – a future which has little room for ornery creatures such as those who inhabit Dirt.
While the visuals are excellent, as my Arts Editor proclaimed, the facet I found most interesting concerns the transformation from wannabe to embodying the archetype. Rango does an admirable job of fulfilling the role of sheriff, but it’s all built on a foundation of lies and bravado, and when he comes face to face with the irresistible Rattlesnake Jake, he’s not even killed – just humiliated and cast forth. He wanders the desert and somehow survives the human highway, and, once across, he learns what has become of the water supply. But that’s not as important as he’s learned that, without his role, he’s virtually nothing, and now he has a choice – become the archetype and all that entails, or dry up and die in the sun. His choice determines his place in the town and its fate, and stands as one of the leading questions many of us face.
It’s a good, fun story. Recommended.
