Saturday, December 7, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide 2013: The Lone Ranger Blu-Ray




The Lone Ranger
Directed By: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, 
James Badge Dale and Helena Bonham Carter
Studio: Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 17, 2013
ASIN: B00DJYJWVW
Running Time: 149 minutes
Rating: PG-13

Retail:
Blu-ray Combo $39.99
DVD $29.99

Purchase Links:


Billy's Review:

The Lone Ranger will be arriving on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Copy on December 17, 2013, which is just a few days before Christmas. With a whopping budget between $200 - $250 millions dollars and director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3) at the helm with Johnny Depp starring as Tonto, you would think The Lone Ranger would be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer, but it was critically attacked for its production halt during filming and its massive budget, all which lead the film to barely break even in ticket sales. That being said, I did see the movie at my local theater during the summer and I completely disagree with most of the critics, as I did enjoy the movie.

The film opens with a young boy entering a sideshow tent at a fair in San Francisco in 1933, where he meets and elderly Tonto, who tells the boy a story about the origin of John Reid, The Lone Ranger. The story begins in the year 1869 aboard a train, which happens to be carrying two prisoners, Butch Cavendish and Tonto. Cavendish's gang slips onto the train, rescues Butch and derails the train.

Despite only being a lawyer, John is deputized by his Texas Ranger brother, Dan, and rides along with him and six others to capture Cavendish's gang, but they are ambushed and killed. Tonto arrives shortly and finds the bodies. He plans on burying the bodies and taking whatever goods they have in their pockets, but his plans are halted with a white horse appears near one of the bodies. It seems John Reid is still alive and Tonto believes he is a "wendigo" or a spirit-walker.

John awakens with one thought on his mind - stopping the Cavendish's gang, but he will need Tonto's help. He slips on a black mask to hide his identity and to protect his sister-in-law and nephew. He rides out on Silver, along Tonto at his side, to stop whatever illegal activities the Cavendish's gang is up to, which happens to involve Tonto's past.

The Lone Ranger is simply a fun, entertaining popcorn-flick the whole family can enjoy. There is plenty of action, humor and special effects throughout the movie. The last twenty-minutes with the train chase is one of best scenes ever filmed. I was a little skeptical about Armie Hammer playing the title role, but he filled the shoes well and he had great chemistry with Johnny Depp. I'm not for sure why there are so many critics against the film, sure it isn't anything like the old television series, but it doesn't have to be, as it is a remake. There are many action-packed bonus extras on the Blu-ray, such as bloopers, deleted scenes, Ride the Rails of The Lone Ranger, Armie's Western Road Trip and Becoming a Cowboy. Overall, The Lone Ranger is  an exciting western adventure for the entire family and it would make a great Christmas present!


*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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