“The Lone Ranger” is Disney’s latest live-action film to hit the big screen – an action-adventure western starring Armie Hammer as The Lone Ranger and Johnny Depp as his trusted Native American sidekick Tonto. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski – the same team that brought “Pirates of the Caribbean” to life almost 9 years ago, this film is rated PG-13 and runs approximately 2 1/2 hours long.
“The Lone Ranger” is a popular fictional character that originated on a radio show in the 1930’s, but gained popularity from a television series and sequence of films in 1950’s & 1960’s.
The 2013 adaptation opens with a young boy, dressed as a ranger and wearing a black mask, exploring a local circus. He comes across an exhibit featuring a Native American posing in an artificial landscape. The man turns out to be Tonto, whose memory is triggered when he sees the young boy wearing the mask. He then recounts the legend of The Lone Ranger to the boy, weaving the tale of how a man of the law becomes an outlaw fighting injustice in the old American West.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of Utah’s Monument Valley, I found the first half of the movie spent most of its time laying the foundation of how the legend of The Lone Ranger is born, saving some memorable tidbits from the original towards the latter part of the film. This made for a bit of 
restlessness for some of the younger members of the audience – and kept the story from moving forward smoothly. In addition, there is definitely a similarity in cinematography that harkens back to the original Pirates of the Caribbean film, with lots of action, adventure, stunts, and daredevil antics that only a hero like The Lone Ranger and Tonto could perform. These moments were wildly entertaining but were very few and far between, and Johnny Depp’s Tonto – whose character provides the comic relief – does not deliver the same amount of charm and swagger as Captain Jack Sparrow.
With a PG-13 rating, the film also features some violent scenes that may be too graphic for younger audiences. This can be tough on parents whose kids are seeing the toys and commercials for the movie and will likely be begging to see the film. For some families who, this may be one of those situations in which parents may want to spend the money to see the (long) movie first to see if it appropriate for their kids.
While you’ll find yourself rooting for The Lone Ranger by the end of the movie, it will require energy and patience to connect with his and Tonto’s character and dynamic before you start tapping your toes to that familiar William Tell Overture tune and call out, “Heigh Yo Silver – away!”
The film is playing in a theater near you as of July 3, 2013. If you’re looking for a bit of action-adventure for your 4th of July weekend, and fancy bit of Pirates of the Caribbean-meets-the Wild West, this film is for you.
