Actors: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Helena Bonham Carter
Directors: Gore Verbinski
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 17, 2013
Run Time: 149 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Right from day one, I had a feeling that “The Lone Ranger” would be a mistake to make, especially for north of $200 million dollars and even with starring Johnny Depp as Tonto. I am not sure how the executives at Disney didn’t see that. I (like most of America) had no interest in seeing this in theaters but I was still curious on Blu-ray. I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Depp is Depp…and that is not a bad thing obviously! Not a huge Armie Hammer, he reminds me too much of a car salesmen playing The Lone Ranger. The film itself is definitely epic, no question. Action packed and quite visual. But WAY too long. They could have easily trimmed 30 minutes off. Still this is a relatively fun popcorn flick and worth checking out. I am definitely a sucker for over-the-top Depp roles to hate it.
Official Premise: The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer; “The Social Network”), the last of his kind, teams with Tonto (Johnny Depp; “Pirates of the Caribbean” series), a dark and mysterious vigilante, to seek vengeance after justice has failed them. It’s a runaway train of epic surprises, as these two unlikely heroes must learn to work together before the ultimate showdown between good and evil explodes. Screenplay by Justin Haythe (“Revolutionary Road”), Ted Elliott (“Pirates of the Caribbean” series) and Terry Rossio (“Pirates of the Caribbean” series).
Disney is releasing this film as a combo pack with Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital Copy. With the film’s $200+ million dollar budget, you have to expect a very visual film and that does translate very well to its 1080p transfer. I liked the colors in the film, it set a certain mood that I dug quite a bit. Since the film is action packed, also the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track really soared. From the chugging train to the gunshots, this is one hell of an active and very impressive track. In terms of special features though, they are quite the letdown. “Riding The Rails of The Lone Ranger” is barely over 10 minutes and focus on the train and cars in the film. “Armies’s Western Road Trip: Armie Hammer” is a tour of the film’s scenic locations with the actor. “Becoming A Cowboy” is another short featurette about how they actors got into character. Lastly there is a Deleted Scene & Blooper Reel included.