I almost didn't see The Lone Ranger.
The current Rotten Tomatoes score for critics is a disappointing 25.
User reviews are a 68.
Sometimes when you see a large disparity between the critics and the masses it is fair to assume that the critics are being snobby. But I typically side with the critics over the users on Rotten Tomatoes.
25. I read a bunch of the reviews. Some said flat out, "Don't go see it."
They warned that Depp's weirdness is getting old, and that the movie is just a mess, etc...
But the part that I was willing to heed was the warning about the long and over-extravagant explosion-based ending. I am really tired of the insane action that many summer movies rely upon, typically at the end. Iron Man 3 is a perfect example; I couldn't wait to leave those last 20 minutes.
I had read that the whole last hour of The Lone Ranger was like that, and if they had cut it, the movie could have survived. So I watched the movie with that warning in my head, waiting for it to get terrible. Some of the more generous critics allowed that the beginning was ok, so I relaxed and let myself enjoy it. But I kept waiting for the turn. And guess what? It never happened.
The reviews are BS. I was genuinely surprised when it ended and I turned to my wife and son and said with astonishment, "The critics were bought out." Usually when someone says something inflammatory like that, the meaning is that the critics were bought out by the studios and are giving glowing reviews to some crapfest. But how can that be when the critics hate a movie?
My idea: the movie tells the truth about American politics (money runs the show), the American military (noble men are often manipulated by rich and powerful men), and America's track record of broken treaties with Native Americans.
I can't see why else that many critics didn't like the movie. Depp's weirdness is getting old, true, but he was entertaining. Mr. Hammer did fine (I kept thinking he was channeling Brendan Fraser). And the bad guys were all talented actors who did a fine job. As usual, the female roles were very limited. (And what is it with Helena Bonham Carter being in so many movies with Johnny Depp?)
The plot was simply enough for a summer movie, not convoluted in any way, and the story was clean. The final train scene, where they play the William Tell Overture, was actually fun and kind of sentimental. The action was NOT crazy, like Iron Man or a Transformers movie. It felt more like watching Raiders Of The Last Ark at a drive-in theatre.
So, the critics gave it a 25 and the users gave it a 68.
I'll give it an 83.
