Lone Ranger film (Johnny Depp)

iMax

Heard the other day that it was cancelled due to Disney not wanting to spend $250 million on it. Hollywood.com seems to support that theory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeZ9E9Iao3o

Shame really as it could have been a great franchise. But $250m on two guys riding horses ? Seriously ???

It's not officially cancelled, they are trying to get the budget down to under 220 million dollars which is still a ridiculous amount for a western. The one good aspect of this is that the whole werewolf aspect of the plot has been removed and we may actually get a film which is more than just the Lone Ranger in name only.

The budget for this is ridiculous, the True Grit remake was 40 mill so I find it hard to imagine what is in the Lone Ranger that justifies such a high figure. Depp is properly taking 30 or so million but where the rest is going is beyond me, unless of course the remaining 190 million is going to spent in fx work in order to turn a beloved character into nothing more than a generic summer blockbuster

paddy kerins

Apparently there was going to be three huge set pieces, one of which would've been the biggest train sequence in film history. Not to mention the whole supernatural aspect it was going to be taking. The film would've been focusing more on Tonto than the title character

iMax

This is one (potential) franchise that could just do with an origins movie. It would just have been a plain old fashioned western (Disneyfied of course). Could have been really good

JP Liz V1

http://collider.com/the-lone-ranger-image/150860/

MOD EDIT: No full article copying & pasting as per the new Sean Sherlock SI. Opinion please, Liz.

cml387

Who's starring as Silver?

GAAman

cml387 wrote: »

Who's starring as Silver?

paddyismaddy

cml387 wrote: »

Who's starring as Silver?

depp in a dual role

Mickeroo

I thought this movie was in developent hell but apparently it's not.....screen shots popping up now.

Some look nice:





Have to Depp's get up looks daft though:





Not only does he have a bird on his head but that bird seems to be alive/able to move......oh dear oh dear......

Sarxos

First teaser poster has been released. There's also a few more pics here.

Sarxos

The first trailer has landed too.

Marty McFly

Looks a lot better than I was expecting despite Depps ridicilous bird hat.

Mickeroo

Marty McFly wrote: »

Looks a lot better than I was expecting despite Depps ridicilous bird hat.

Trailer not bad actually yeah, surprised at the serious-ish tone I have to say.

PunkFreud

Looks interesting. I think a lot depends on how they edit it. To have your star in a supporting role has never really been done before.

It could be good, unless they make it Depp a heavy movie.

Icarus Wings

Happy to see that it has overcome some of the financial difficulties encountered during the early stages.

Regardless of the acting roles, the trailer and images from the set certainly impress in terms of cinematography. Could be a very nice addition to the modern and more stylised revival of the western genre in recent years!

JP Liz V1

PunkFreud wrote: »

Looks interesting. I think a lot depends on how they edit it. To have your star in a supporting role has never really been done before.

It could be good, unless they make it Depp a heavy movie.

Armie Hammer is a very good actor

JP Liz V1

2nd trailer out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjFsNSoDZK8

Jack White is not involved doing the music now

MJ23

Depp playing the same character yet again.

krudler

could be interesting, but why the need to ruin the train setpiece? know what happens now, sigh..

Sarxos

Disney unveiled a new trailer during the Superbowl

Thwip!

I'm on the fence bout this... trailer looks cool and interesting but I dunno

Cantona's Collars

Posters out.

Sarxos

The new trailer is pretty good. It's got a fun BTTF3-style vibe about it.

delbertgrady

That new trailer is so much better.

Plus it's got about 500% more Ruth Wilson.

krudler

Looks fun tbh, don't let it be said Disney don't take a gamble with some out there movie idea, everyone thought Pirates would be a flop, look how that turned out.

This has bombed in the US with a total box office of just under 20 million. I think that opening around the same time as Despicable Me 2 and Monster University was a big mistake given how little kids know if the Lone Ranger. Has they held off and released it toward the end if the summer of even at Christmad then the film could have performed a lot better.

It'll most likely do quite well once it opens around the world but a sequel is unlikely.

This movie has been plagued from the get go so i wasnt expecting it to be any good.
Also I refuse to watch any movie that has both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in it. No reason its just a pact i made with myself :P

MagicMarker

This looks horrendous.

Am turning it off after an hour. Disjointed, predictable jokes that arent working at all. Hard to believe its this bad...

corcaigh07

watched this last week, it's been out since July 3rd over here.

It's not great, went in with low expectations and they were kept low. Biggest complaint I have is that it is too long, the middle third drags quite a bit. Also, the amount of movie tropes and cliches that come into this are achingly bad, things like Butch Cavendish not being able to shoot straight or delaying an execution just to give whoever getting shot a chance to escape or be rescued.

Seriously, it happens again and again, if that sort of thing annoys you, AVOID this movie!

On the plus side, the movie's 2 train setpieces are entertaining for the most part and is probably where a LOT of the movie's budget went.

Johnny Depp wasn't as annoying as I feared he would be and was actually the source of some good one-liners and I liked Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger, even though he is a big pussy for a lot of it! And Helena Bonham Carter is barely in it "Dre as in Dray", so maybe you can watch it after all, she's in like 2 scenes.

4/10

constitutionus

there was a Looooooooong ad for this just before pacific rim in vue yesteday and i cant help thinking the marketing guys are panicking and throwing all the good bits in the trailer to tempt people in.

and in fairness its a good looking trailer.

but ive never really had an interest in this and doubt ill go.

I'd be willing to bet money that the reason Planes was bumped up to a theatrical release was because the execs at Disney viewed The Lone Ranger and realised that they had a bomb on their hands so in order to offset the loss they bumped up a sure thing such as Planes.

rockonollie

I saw this last week and honestly, I didn't find it all that bad.....certainly not as bad as reviews make it out to be.

It does drag on a little, and as a previous poster mentioned, there's the continuing trend of delaying an execution long enough for someone to escape....but that is in keeping with the original Lone Ranger tv show, where it happened in almost every episode......just like batman....in fact, you can probably point out a scene in almost every action movie where the villain could have just killed the hero instead of explaining his plot.....but that wouldn't make for a very good story.

By all means, it isn't the greatest movie, Johnny Depp is Johnny Depp and it could have been shorter, but iy isn't half as bad as has been suggested.

SherlockWatson

Enjoyed it myself, popcorn movie really.

mrcheez

At the premiere last night, expecting it to be complete tosh based on Rotten Tomatoes rating, but was surprised by how enjoyable it was. Similar humour to Pirates of the Caribbean (same team produced it), and although it's quite long, it's definitely worth checking out for a feel-good summer flick. I'd have expected it to be up around 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.

doubledown

http://www.theeffect.net/2013/08/08/the-lone-ranger-the-review/


Before writing this review I had to consult the IMDB to remind myself of exactly what the plot of this film was about as I had already forgotten (and I only saw it 12 hours ago). Suffice it to say it’s a Lone Ranger origin story and is loosely based on the classic radio series of the same name. It is directed by Gore Verbinski (who helmed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films and Rango, among others) and produced by Hollywood uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer (The Pirates movies, The Rock, Top Gun). It stars Armie Hammer as John Reid (The Lone Ranger) and Johnny Depp (who has some genuine Native American ancestry) as his sidekick, Tonto. A winning combination – on paper at least.

I’d imagine this project looked like a sure thing to Disney. The formula was perfect – simply reunite the director and producer of the Pirates movies with the Pirates star. Let them do their thing and watch the magic happen. However, the film was plagued by production problems and budgetary concerns and was even completely cancelled at one point. But, as World War Z (which I hated) clearly demonstrated earlier this summer, a troubled production does not necessarily mean the film will be a failure. Especially not if the movie turns out well and is liked by audiences and critics alike.

So, The Lone Ranger finally rides into town. How does it fare?

Not well, I’m afraid. Not well at all.

It starts off well enough, using an interesting framing device where Depp’s character, now a very old man, is relating the entire story to a young boy at a San Fransisco fairground in 1933. We are quickly introduced to all the main characters as they are inadvertently caught up in a daring attempt to spring the villain, Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner), from a moving train before it reaches its next destination, where he’ll be brought to justice. This opening action scene is a treat, filled with fun exchanges, double-crosses and hair-raising stunts. So far, so good. But then it all starts to fall apart. It gets bogged down in exposition and silly jokes and it is very hard to make out exactly what the story is about. The film then lurches from one loud, uninvolving set piece to another and by the time it (finally) reaches its noisy climax involving two steam trains, it’s quite difficult to care about the fate of any of the characters.

One of the main issues, I’m sorry to say, is Depp himself. This film has been a pet project of his for years and he brings his usual quirkiness to the role as expected. But the character just doesn’t work. It’s TOO out there, even for Depp. And I think audiences may be beginning to tire of his madcap characters. His last film, Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, was a flop and it’s becoming apparent that outside of the Pirates franchise, Depp is not a guaranteed box office draw. Don’t get me wrong – I like Johnny Depp, I really do. I admire the way he decided to cast aside his teenage heartthrob persona and take a more interesting career patch. But I feel at this stage that his shtick may be getting a little old. I’m getting to the point where I’d like to see him get his teeth into a proper, straight, dramatic acting role that doesn’t involve silly make-up or a ridiculous costume. You know – a normal guy!

As for The Lone Ranger himself, Armie Hammer (best known for his portrayal of the Winklevoss twins in the 2010 film, The Social Network) does his very best but he is simply given very little to do. His character’s motivations are unclear and any time he is sharing the screen with Depp he is completely upstaged. It’s a shame as he comes across as a very likable, charismatic and credible leading man. I hope he gets another shot at a similar role but in a film that has a degree of charm and a stronger script.

The supporting cast are fine. Tom Wilkinson plays yet another American. Helena Bonham Carter does her usual thing. Barry Pepper shows up as an army captain. And Ruth Wilson fails to make much of an impression as the love interest. The only stand-out is Fichtner as the evil, ugly and sadistic bad guy. But they always have the most fun.

Tonally the film is all over the place. And I think the best word I can think of to describe it is a “mess.” It has no idea whether it wants to be a straightforward Western, a slapstick comedy, a buddy film or an action movie – and it ends up being none of the above. There are a few light moments here and there but for the most part the gags fall flat.

On the plus side there is some stunning scenery and the film is beautifully shot. And it’s refreshing to see some old school practical stunt work on the big screen (although it has its fair share of CGI too). But the film is so uneven that’s it’s difficult to enjoy and I’m still asking myself exactly WHO it is aimed at…

And on that note, a word of warning – this is NOT a film for young kids. Don’t let the fact that it’s a 12A Disney movie fool you – it’s surprisingly violent and features its fair share of bloody bullet hits, Native American massacres and a spot of (albeit mostly off-camera) cannibalism. The running time is also very problematic. At a bladder-bursting 149 minutes it is simply far too long and many scenes could have easily been trimmed or dropped altogether to make a tighter film (but not a better one). As it happens, by far the funniest and most enjoyable moment of the film comes at the very end, just before the end credits. But it’s not worth the price of admission and you have to sit through a bloated two and a half-hours to to get to it, unfortunately.

Hammer and Depp recently spoke out about the The Lone Ranger’s poor showing at the American box office and they both laid the blame squarely at the feet of the US critics, claiming they had it in for them from the start, regardless of the quality of the finished film. Sorry, guys, but in this case you’re wrong. The movie is just not very good.

The Lone Ranger opens in Ireland on the 9th of August.

mrcheez

doubledown wrote: »

Hammer and Depp recently spoke out about the The Lone Ranger’s poor showing at the American box office and they both laid the blame squarely at the feet of the US critics

A lot of the blame for the poor showing is also summer blockbuster overkill, Despicable Me 2 etc were released the same week.

Anyway the kids at the movie seemed to enjoy it

don ramo

only saw it tonight, it was an enjoyable summer feel good film as has already been said, i think the negativity towards it is a bit OTT being honest, its runtime is a little long alright but i didnt really notice it till i got in my car and saw the time,

it had a decent plot, could have done with a better explanation about why the ranger was chosen, but overall i thought all the character were fine, didnt even notice that william fichtner was butch until i saw it later on IMDB, hammer and depp worked well together, some of the humour was probably more aimed at the younger 12-15 target audience TBF, but i still chuckled a bit here and there,

a good film 3/5 not as bad as people have said it was, but it not really great either, just slightly above average,

jupiterjack

Just back from watching it, wasnt going to go because of all the bad reviews, but a mate of mine said it was very good so off I went & glad I did now because I thought it was very good. well worth a watch..

Son0vagun

I absolutely loved it, as did everyone in our group. I've no idea why critics are slating it in the states. Empire gave it four stars and so would I. It's too easy to slate big blockbusters but The Lone Ranger is one of the better ones, sadly it probably won't get the sequel it deserves!

Go see it!

mrcheez

Son0vagun wrote: »

I've no idea why critics are slating it in the states.

Could be they don't like Johnny Depp playing the role of a native american?

So why is it such a bust?
Probably one reason is because people were not willing to see Johnny Depp as Tonto. Audiences are definitely not stupid.


...
Do you think the controversy in Indian country contributed to it being a flop?
I’m not one to take credit for that although I think we contributed.

It had bad publicity before it was launched.

Thrill

I went to see this today and enjoyed it. The 149 minutes just flew by.

Ghost Train

Saw this few days ago and really enjoyed it, didn't mind the length and found it very entertaining movie. Bit loud but maybe that was just the particular cinema. Also bit surprised by the poor reviews

krudler

Just back from this, first the bad points. Biggest one is the length, it's just simply too long at over 2.5hrs, you could easily have cut 30-40 minutes out of it for a much tighter, more coherent story.
It suffers from the same pitfalls of the Pirates sequels where what should be a straightforward adventure tale gets bogged in too many characters with not much to do and a plot that is wildly varying in it's themes. It's also very muddled, at first it's a straight Western, then there are supernatural elements in it but it doesn't go the whole hog with them ala the Pirates movies, a lot of it is either hinted at or dismissed as rubbish, so you're not quite sure to buy into it or not.
Depp basically plays a monosyllabic Indian Jack Sparrow, he seriously needs to branch out and drop the kooky thing asap, it's beyond old now. Hammer is fine in the role, does what he can with a pretty weak script, the supporting cast is all good bar Bonham Carter, who is utterly, utterly pointless, she must have about 5 minutes of screentime in total.
It's also pretty dark for a family film, the bodycount is huge, bullets rip through people with thunderously loud squibs and there's even cannibalism in it, really didn't expect that side of it given its a Disney summer flick.

But, what's good about it is very good indeed, firstly it looks absolutely friggin' gorgeous, Verbinski fills the 2.35:1 ratio with some stunning shots of Monument Valley. The production design is top notch and it looks like every cent of the gigantic budget is on screen, it's easily the best looking of this years summer blockbusters. There are some shots shamelessly stolen from other famous films in the genre, including a Sergio Leone style introduction to James Badge Dale's character and his posse. There are some funny moments, mostly involving Depp and the horse, the kid sitting near me lapped up their interactions, a lot of the jokes fell flat though, and Depp's kookiness gets tiresome after a while.
It's also refreshingly old school in it's approach to the action scenes, using real stuntmen, horses and trains. There is CGI as well but used mostly in the finale, which once it began and the William Tell Overture signature tune started belting out of the speakers left me with a massive grin on my face. It's a pity there's so much middle section to get through for the brilliantly fun trainbound final scenes.

I don't understand the venom most of the US critics levelled at this, there are far, far worse blockbuster films out there, a few of them in the past few months, if anything it's not by the numbers, it's wildly ambitious if very muddled in what it's trying to do, and will probably be seen as one of the more unfairly maligned Hollywood films of late if critics approach it again in a few years.

candy-gal1

Went to see this early this week for my birthday and I thought this was fecking fantastic tbh!!
Ive no idea where all these reviews are coming from saying "its a flop" "rubbish" etc etc cos I couldnt find one fault with it imho
Boham Carters character, as in most of her movies, made it and shes HOT!!
Good Depp performance, and comedic too!

Also I found myself getting so very excited when the theme song came about, I think I forgot that was the theme or something :pac:, awesomeage!

krudler

candy-gal1 wrote: »

Went to see this early this week for my birthday and I thought this was fecking fantastic tbh!!
Ive no idea where all these reviews are coming from saying "its a flop" "rubbish" etc etc cos I couldnt find one fault with it imho
Boham Carters character, as in most of her movies, made it and shes HOT!!
Good Depp performance, and comedic too!

Also I found myself getting so very excited when the theme song came about, I think I forgot that was the theme or something :pac:, awesomeage!

I thought her character had no purpose, at all. and she's in it for what 5 minutes? (thankfully)

candy-gal1

She was just meant to be a side character though wasnt she, I got that feeling, kinda a way of showing the brothels etc of that time but giving them even more character, imho anyway.

Ah I love her in movies though, ever since she played one of the death eaters in HP Ive just thought she was brilliant! Each to their own though, I know some people arent mad on her, same with Johnny Depp.

krudler

She can act, she was excellent in Fight Club, she just needs to be kept away from Depp and Tim Burton, doing the same sh1t every movie they're involved in, you're both kooky and weird, we get it.

CiDeRmAn

Just back from seeing it in an almost empty theatre and it was a real blast.
Sure, it was long but the time flew by.
I enjoyed Depp though I'm pretty sure they were saving some reveal about his true racial background for a sequel, a sequel that'll never happen
Apparently its doing a lot better outside the US, so who knows what might happen.
And, as said already, it definitely doesn't deserve the bile being aimed in its direction by movie critics.

Put it this way, I had a better time at this then with either Pacific Rim or Iron Man 3.

krudler

Probably the most fun setpiece of the summer, Zimmer did a great job of working the William Tell Overture into the score.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4YfkEtHJoM

TerrorFirmer

Saw it last night and thought it was solid entertainment. A bit long winded but definitely worth a watch and not deserving of the harsh criticism directed at it.