PixlBit

    I didn't really care for the trailers for The Lone Ranger but I usually like the director involved. Gore Verbenski directed the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and Rango (one of my favorite movies of the 21st century so far), and it has Johnny Depp.  Plus, I have an unusual nostalgia streak in me. I don't think anyone  born beyond the 1960's was really clamoring for a Lone Ranger reboot. But I decided to give it a try. 
    Overall, it was a chaotic mess. The plot of the movie is an origin story. John Reid (played by Armie Hammer) comes back home to Texas to be a district attorney after studying for 9 years in the East to be a lawyer. He comes back pretty much an anti-gun dandy, while his heroic brother Dan, is a Texas Ranger. For some reason, Dan brings John along on a hunt to find an escaped outlaw and his gang. The Rangers end up being ambushed and all 7 of them get killed (including possibly John). John is brought back to life by a Commanche named Tonto (played by Johnny Depp) and is talked into playing dead until John and Tonto (for other reasons) can capture the bad guys and rescue John's sister-in-law (who is really in love with John) and his nephew. In the meantime they must foil a plot by an evil railroad baron to start a war with the Comanche and the U.S. government. 
    The action scenes for the most part were very exciting. Unfortunately some of the best scenes were already shown in the trailers and there wasn't much more to catch during the actual movie. There was one action set piece that for some reason was filmed in the dark and therefore to hard to see. I don't understand this as the movie (as far as I know) wasn't released in 3D where dark lighting is often necessary. The best laughs were also shown in the movie. 
    Except for the action, the movie was really slow and boring as well as kind of predictible. They telegraphed the main baddie so badly it's a wonder it doesn't blind the viewer. The bad guys were cliche. William Fintcher was pretty much channel Geoffrey Rush from the first pirates movie. 
    Helena Bonham-Carter has an extended cameo but there was really no reason for her character to be in the movie. Also, her best scenes are in the trailer. 
    I also didn't like the total political correctness of the movie. I understand you don't want to portray Native Americans like Hollywood did in the beginning to the late 60's, but did they have to portray all the white men as evil or stupid? 
    I also have a problem with the way the Lone Ranger himself was portrayed. Armie Hammer portrayed him as a complete idiot. He voluntarily goes on a posse to find a gang of outlaws who carry GUNS. When his brother tries to hand him a six-shooter for his own safety, John refuses it saying he doesn't believe in them. Even the most hardcore 21st centure anti-gun advocate knows that guns are necessary for law enforcement personnel (i.e. Texas Rangers going after outlaws with GUNS) to use guns to capture some bad guys. Did he expect to talk his way out of an ambush?
    Toward the end of the movie, the Lone Ranger rescues his sister-in-law and the both give each other a passionate kiss, never mind the fact that the sister-in-law learned less than 24 hours prior that she was a widow (her husband was portrayed rather postiviely by the way). Did she give any thought to mourning for awhile?
    Johnny Depp did a much better job as Tonto than I thought that he would. Since he is the bigger star it only makes sense that he is pretty much the lead in the movie but that doesn't hurt the movie too much. I liked how his backstory was told. A lot of people will compare this character to his Jack Sparrow but I have to disagree, this is a much different character, although just as strange, with a less roguish streak. 
    Depp is the only reason to see this movie at all on cable. Overall, this is the worst Verbinski movie I have seen and it is one of the worst Jerry Bruckheimer produced movies (not easy to do since he's made a few bad ones in his time). Even the old-timer at the theater (and there were a lot of them) were falling asleep. I usually think the critics are too far off when they give bad reviews but this time, I have to agree with them.