Several quick-witted touches — such as a hilarious nod to Depp’s role in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — can’t make up for Gore Verbinski’s leaden direction of this digitally animated feature.

A gem that doesn't get talked about as much as the big Pixar movies, but well worth checking out.

Rango is a superbly-written, masterfully-shot feat of making us believe that yes, ugly critters can also possess the kind of heroic qualities that this world needs more of.

In its finest moments, Rango comes across as a Coen Brothers film with anthropomorphic animals instead of flesh-and-blood humans.