Rango Review Numbers Freshest

Rango review scores are a rather rare sight. As it turns out, the Rango review numbers are actually above average, which virtually no film has accomplished in 2011. A few smaller movies have gotten solid write-ups, but no major 2011 film had done it so far. In fact, Justin Bieber's Never Say Never is the only 2011 movie in the top 10 with a positive Rotten Tomatoes score. But thanks to the Rango review totals, that will change after this weekend.

Johnny Depp and Pirates director Gore Verbinski are back together, and in a more animated realm. This time, Depp is the voice of a lizard, who winds up being the new sheriff of a lawless town of critters. The rest of it is said to be too weird for the average animated film.

Yet the Rango review roundup on Rotten Tomatoes is unaffected by that. In fact, the score is up to 86 percent positive, with a 7.5 average rating. The consensus reads "It may not be as charming as it thinks it is - and it certainly isn't for kids - but Rango is a smart, giddily creative burst of beautifully animated entertainment."

Critics are both amazed at how odd the movie is, and how it is an animated film that actually isn't in 3D. But in spite of no 3D, and in spite of being more for adults than kids, the movie is still expected to strike it big.

Some Rango review comments are positive, if only because it gets away with being so oddball. Yet Depp and Verbinski are the same people who gave birth to Captain Jack Sparrow, and made him the anchor of a Disney franchise. Therefore, centering a spoof of Westerns, and even Chinatown, around a lizard is apparently nothing.

Of course, there are a few who are a bit too weirded out, and complain that there's not much to offer beyond the visuals and odd ideas. But this is a common complaint for every non-Pixar animated film, with some getting away with it more than others. In this case, most critics agree that this one gets away with it more often.