The Lone Ranger ***

Gore Verbinski directed this Action adventure. Watch Preview. Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material. Running time is two hours and twenty-nine minutes.

The famed masked hero (Armie Hammer) is brought to life through through the eyes of Native American spirit warrior, Tonto (Johnny Depp).

This is one of those films people will either like or really dislike, without much ambivalence in the middle. There are a couple of things I disliked: the excessive length and the unnecessary plot contrivance of an elderly Tonto meeting a young boy years after the film's events. But I did enjoy the terrific CGI effects and the bits of dry humor thrown in at unexpected moments. I also found the storyline entertaining, if not what I was expecting. I would discourage parents from taking their small children to what they think is a movie version of the TV series they saw years ago. It isn't even close to that, and there is one particular scene that could give a small child nightmares. The pacing is very good and the cast is top notch. Depp is in a league of his own, of course, but Fichtner and Carter are also outstanding (I didn't even recognize Fichtner until I was checking the credits). I would find this film hard to recommend unless I knew you well, but I enjoyed it.

There is a scene behind the credits but it amounts to nothing. To get the most impact from the spectacular CGI you should watch this on the largest possible screen. Theatres/Times.